Blood Raider Naruto
by General Badaxe
Summary: Naruto sees the Uchiha clan massacre through Sasuke's eyes. Naruto hates the memories and the nightmares, and leaves Konoha to find out how he got the memories, and what this power can actually do for him. Beside make his life a living nightmare.
1. Chapter 1

General Badaxe- Right second Naruto fic. I'll get right on it. Anyway, I want people to know a couple things before you start to read this fic. First thing, I don't care about reviews. If no one reviews, I will still update, if I get 100 reviews that say it sucks, I will still update. If you leave a flame, you know what; I don't really give a rat's ass. If you do leave one, it won't make me stop updating. Second thing, Naruto isn't retarded in my fics. I honestly think the guy is smarter than he lets on. He managed to learn Kage Bunshin in one afternoon, two hours at most. It is a jounin level technique, so I find it hard to think that he is a dumb ass. He also learned Ransegan in a short amount of time, something I find hard to believe unless he is smarter than he lets on. Third thing, I don't have the people in my fics yell out the moves they are using. What good ninja would yell out the technique they are using, giving their opponent a name so they can think of a counter quicker? That and yelling out the name of the move seems like it would give away your position. Fourth thing, don't expect to get too buddy-buddy with me. I'm not exactly the nicest guy around, and I really hate talking to people who I think are retarded, or think I am retarded. Another thing, this is me here. I have the name R.E.-Wolf as my pename because that is my brother. I am too lazy to get my own, so I use his. This is my fic, and my fic alone. Final thing, the disclaimer I write applies to all chapters after this. I hate writing one every chapter, and if I owned Naruto, why would I be writing a fan fiction in the first place? So, if you don't like any of that, get out.

Disclaimer- I don't own Naruto. I said it; now don't bitch at me about it. If anyone is going to complain about the swearing, take in mind this is a rated M fic, it isn't exactly going to be about Naruto planting daisies is it?

I am having more nightmares recently. They started after the mission we had with the Wave country. Sasuke had died, well, I thought he had died. In remorse, I had taken some of his blood, and put in my mouth, a sort of offering to his grave, and knowledge had flooded through me. I knew all his fire jutsus, he had a huge list. He just didn't have the chakra to control them, so he didn't use them. I even felt different, I looked in a puddle right next to us, and I had a weird eye. It was the same eye Sasuke had during his fight with Haku.

However, a nightmare came with all for that: I witnessed the Uchiha Clan massacre. I saw Sasuke's brother, Itachi, as he used that 'Mengakyuo Sharingan' On Sasuke, and then I went into a strange place. I saw the Uchiha clan get massacred again and again. I think they were Sasuke's memories, but I didn't dare confront him about it. After all, I didn't want to believe that it happened, after all, I forgot all the fire jutsu's, and I saw my eye was back to normal later, but the nightmares remained.

I found it a little silly, I remembered the nightmares, but I forgot the fire jutsus. I probably would have laughed, except I was having the nightmares almost every night these days. They were slowly tearing me apart, I had to get out, and I couldn't stay. Konoha had become a nightmare to me; I saw the bodies of the Uchiha clan everywhere I went. This place was going to twist me inside out, and kill me. The scary part was that I wanted it to happen.

I sigh, standing up on the Hokage Mountain; I wonder about a couple experiences of my life. Tricking everyone and making them think I was a retard. Good times with Iruka-sensei. Pulling a prank on Kakashi-sensei before I truly got to know him. I enjoyed all of my memories here, well, the ones I like. I didn't really enjoy running from villagers who were drunk and trying to kill me, I could live without that. And now, I saw the Uchiha Clan massacre with my own eyes. Well, I think they were actually Sasuke's, but I still wonder about that. Why did I have those memories, how did I know all those fire jutsu's, what was that strange eye, and more importantly, how did I get all of that? I also want to know why I lost the eye and why I forgot the fire jutsu's. I forgot the hand seals, everything. Even now, I am having a tough time remembering the names of the moves, let alone performing them.

Should I leave Konoha? Not permanently of course, just long enough to straighten out my mind, and possibly learn a couple more techniques. I suppose that makes me a coward, leaving the place that is giving me nightmares, but I am not the bravest person in the world. Heck, anyone who thought I was brave really has to get their eyes checked. I refuse to give up, I know that much, but there is a difference between being brave, being stubborn, and being stupid. I tend to fall into the latter category.

To leave the village though, I would need the permission of Old-Man Hokage. If I did it any other way, I would have to be a fugitive, never allowed to return to Konoha again. I might be able to live without that, but I still wanted to be Hokage. Yeah I'm selfish. I want to leave, and return to be Hokage. But hey, I'm holding the world's most powerful demon inside of me, so I think I am allowed to be a little selfish. After all, no one even asked me if I wanted to be the container, they just forced it upon me.

However, learning I was the container shocked me. It told me why the villagers hated me, and so I didn't feel so bad about killing the two I did when I was six years old. They cornered me, they were drunk, and they had weapons. I grabbed the closest object, which happened to be a broken beer bottle one had chucked at me, and things went downhill from there. By the end of the scuffle, both were dead, and I had some minor katana cuts on me. They had healed by morning.

Well, I have some extra money, and Ichiraku is right over there. I might as well go get some ramen. I jump from the monument, and slide down the rock faces with my hands. I dug my legs into the rock as well, I didn't worry too much about the minor cuts, I would be ok by morning. I made it to the bottom, but I had released a little early, and landed a little hard on my butt. I would live, so I stood up and walked to Ichiruka. Sometimes, I think that I am the only one keeping this place going, until I see Ayame go deliver some ramen to someone, or see a couple others in the place. If I left, will this place go bankrupt? Probably not, they would find a way to survive.

I walk in and sit down, wondering if I should leave. "Hey, if it isn't our greatest customer, Ayame, a miso Ramen, lets go!" Old-man called.

"Hai!" I heard Ayame call from the back room.

"When you already know what I am going to order when I walk in, maybe I need to stop coming here as often." I said in a joking manner.

Old-Man clutched his heart in mock pain, and then said "Ayame! I need water. Trouble breathing, losing best customer, losing only source of income. Need water, must drink, must live!"

"Old-Man, don't you think you are taking it a little far this time?" I ask him, grinning.

"How could you say that Naruto! I was planning on living off of the retirement money I got from you, and here I find out that my best customer is leaving us!" He said in a melodramatic voice.

"You are starting to creep me out." I told him, rubbing the back of my head to reassure myself that he hasn't gone crazy.

Suddenly, some water went all over the Old-Man. "There you go!" Ayame said. "The water you wanted, and the ramen you wanted." She said, sliding the bowl to me.

"Thanks." I told her, and then I put my hands together. "Itedakimasu!" Then I ate. If there is one thing I can count on, it is that this ramen will always taste good. "Thanks, but I have to go. See you all later!" I said, running away while waving my hand at them.

Well, now that I have had something to eat, it should be easier to talk to Old-Man. Well, I hoped it would be easier. Anything I try to do is never easy, no matter what I do. Heck, take my supposed 'C' Rank mission just now. It turned out to be an 'A' Rank in disguise. Like I said, nothing in my life can ever be easy.

I rushed to the Hokage tower, and plowed through the doors. The two chuunin guarding the door yelled at me to stop, but, like every other time, I ignored them. Will they get the message that I just don't like to follow orders through their skull yet? Well, if they wanted to keep barking orders out, I could continue to ignore them. It wasn't that hard after all.

I barged into the Room where the Hokage was, and, almost like every other time I saw him, he was gazing into a crystal ball. "Naruto- I have been expecting you." He said, never taking his eyes off of the crystal ball.

"Could you at least look at me when you say that? It is just disturbing to have you stare at that thing and tell me 'you expected me' or something along those lines. You are the Hokage, not some cheap gypsy!" I told him.

He let off a dry chuckle, a testament to his old age. He may be old, but I wouldn't be that surprised if the guy lived to be one hundred and fifty years old, and then at the age he would run around the village, lapping the best runner. "Naruto, you are as brash as ever. Anyway, why have you come here? Are the villagers bothering you again?" He asked me, a smile in his eyes.

"Old-Man, you should know that I never complain about the villagers, not even when I should. So, I'm not about to start now. I need your permission for one thing, I want to leave Konoha." I told him. Glad it was off of my chest, I didn't feel like a living sweat machine.

Old-Man's face darkened. "Naruto, what do you mean 'Leave Konoha'?" He asked me, his voice a small simmer, but undoubtedly with a lot of anger behind it.

"Not permanently!" I told him hastily. "I just need some time to straighten some things out. I also want to go around and collect some techniques. I plan to return eventually."

"Naruto, how long is 'eventually'?" He asked me, eyeing me from under his little Hokage cap. It was a little scary with him eyeing me like that; it seemed as though he could look through me, and twist me inside out as he pleased. I wouldn't be surprised if he could right now.

"At most three years!" I told him hastily. Any amount of time, you could tell me a month, but if it would get you to stop looking at me like that, I would accept it. I wasn't going to tell him that of course.

"You realize that you would be leaving a genin team incomplete right?" He asked me.

Well, I hadn't thought of that. But, no one on the team has really done anything for me besides teach me how to walk up trees without my hands. A nice skill, but it didn't help me out that much. Well, I suppose I could beat squirrels in a race, but there had to be better skills than that.

"Old-Man, I am sure you can find someone to replace me. I did have the lowest scores on tests and everything, it's not like I was a valuable asset to the team, so it shouldn't be too hard to replace me." I told him.

He chuckled a little, and then told me "While that may be true, we both know you aren't really stupid don't we?" He said to me with a knowing smile.

"H-How? W-When?" I couldn't say any sentences. When did he learn? How did he know? I was sure I fooled everybody.

"Naruto, word of advice, I'm the Hokage for a reason. It isn't handed to me by my birth; it was given to me because I deserved it. Did you really think you could fool me?" He asked me.

"Considering I know a move that can take you out without me doing much, I actually thought I could." I told him.

"Well Naruto, let's not tell anyone about that little incident." He told me, a sheepish grin on his face, and a slight blush as well.

It is kind of hard for me to believe they let a pervert become the Hokage. But, what do I know about the council and the business they do? Nothing, that is what. "So Old-Man, are you going to let me go?" I ask him again.

"Naruto, I don't know. I will talk to the council, see what they think, and give you an answer tomorrow. How does that sound?" He told me.

Well, I wasn't going to get any better. That, and from what I understand, the council hates me. If they can get rid of me for a while, I'll bet they will take the chance. Freedom is almost in my grasp already. Well, I shouldn't say freedom; it should be more along the lines of adventure. Yeah, that sounds a lot better.

I left the Hokage tower, and then bounded onto the roof of a close by house/building. I didn't know which it was with all that was going on, but I didn't really care either. Great, now all I need is something to do for a day. It is only about twelve judging by the sun, and I couldn't really do anything interesting. Great, I have to wait till tomorrow to get anything interesting done.

Ok, I have a choice: I could either mope around all day wondering about the memories, and my amnesia of the good things I missed, or I could do something interesting and pull off a prank. Such a hard choice. Ok, so all I need is some mud, an ice cube tray, two olives, and a carrot. Mud will be easy, the ice cube tray shouldn't be a problem, olives might be a small problem, and finding a carrot, well, I'll find one somehow.

Ok, I'll try Ichiraku first; they should have one or two of the things I want. I walked over there, trying not to seem too suspicious. I got there without any hassles. I walked inside and saw Ayame at the counter. "Hey Ayame, do you have two olives, an ice cube tray, and a carrot I can use?"

"Naruto, what are you planning this time?" Ayame said to me, putting her hands on her hips. Wouldn't she like to know.

"Ayame, will you please let me use some stuff?" I ask her, getting on my knees, clasping my hands together, and bowing my head.

"All right, all right, I'll get your stuff. Father, we need an ice cube tray, two olives, and a carrot!" She called to the back.

"Did Naruto ask for the stuff?" He called to the front room.

"Yeah he did." Ayame called back to him.

"All right, give me a second to look around the kitchen." He said, and then rummaging could be heard. Being their best customer, they supply me with stuff sometimes. Ok, almost all the time, there had to be perks with visiting this place almost every day.

Old-Man came to the front with an ice cube tray, and two olives. I didn't see a carrot though. "Naruto, I'm sorry but we don't have a carrot you can use." He said to me, handing me the stuff.

"Thanks Old-Man!" I told him in a cheerful voice, taking the stuff in my arms. I turn around, but then the Old-man called to me.

"Hey Naruto, I don't know what you are planning, or what you are going to do with all that stuff. I'm also telling you that I don't want to know. But I want to tell you one thing: Don't get arrested." He said to me, and then he walked back into the kitchen.

It was nice to know that they cared about me, but I would probably be ok. Well, I knew I wouldn't get arrested, probably a severe scolding, but never arrested. But, in the off chance that I do get arrested, I would spread the rumor around the prison that I killed someone with the power of the demon inside of me. That would get the others to leave me alone.

I also had to figure out why people were more scared of dieing from the hands of a demon than another person. After all, dead is dead and nothing can bring you back. So, why did people care abut the way that they died? Well, I would prefer a quick death over a painful one. Plus, why do people think they are immortal? Death isn't a quick thing; we advance toward it slowly as we age. In essence, we die a little more each day. A little scary to think about, but it is true nonetheless.

Anyway, now that I have had a dreary thought, back to my prank. I need a carrot. Where am I going to get a carrot? Well I could go ask random people, but that would lead to some strange question and answer scenario. So, I could root though dumpsters. Not the best thing in the world I know, but I could always tell people that I accidentally threw away a coupon for some free ramen at Ichiruka, and I am currently searching for it. Yeah, that would work.

I walk down the street, and turn left at the crossroads in Konoha. A trash can, a good reliable trash can. Ok, when I am looking for a reliable trash can, is it ok to say I'm a little nut? Just checking. Well, the trash can over there is as good as any. I walk over to the trash can, and start to rummage through it. Half eaten bread, rotten fruit, some vegetables, beer bottles, a drunk mans teeth, a toaster, giant toothbrush, beheaded chicken, and a larger than normal pair of underwear. But no carrot.

Geez, maybe I should use the giant toothbrush. But, then it would seem a little…stupid for my tastes. All right, the entire thing is stupid in the first place, but it is a way to pass the time. I'm bored, so sue me. Right, back to finding a carrot. Let's see, the dumpster over there looks like it might have something good in it. Let's see, a Popsicle stick, broken kitchen knives, the handle of a frying pan, said frying pan, a wok, some broken eggs, a couple cabbages, a leash, and some shuriken. Hey! These shuriken are still good, and I think they are in better condition than the people at the stores give me! Than again, when they give me a price twice the amount they give other ninjas, it is really hard for me to get good grade shuriken.

I scoop up the shuriken; I'll have to clean them off later. "Rummaging through trash cans dobe?" I heard an arrogant voice say behind me. Well, that is one way to pass the time.

"Shut up Sasuke-teme!" I shouted at him.

"What are you doing going through the trash cans?" Sasuke asks me, a bored looking expression on his face.

"You see Sasuke; I accidentally threw away my coupon for free ramen, so I am looking for it." I told him, going through another garbage can. Damn it, still nothing good.

"Naruto, wouldn't it make sense for you to check the dumpsters by your house then?" Sasuke asked me.

I hadn't though about that. Didn't I throw a carrot out this morning? "Thanks Sasuke-teme!" I said to him, and go racing for my apartment. Well, that was one of the few moments I didn't care the guy thought he was better than me.

I race back to my apartment, and then I stopped for a second. Damn, no sonic boom. I really need to get faster to create one of those. It serves no real purpose; I just like the thought of making one. After all, nothing like running by a bunch of people, and then making them wonder where the Hell the wind came from. What, what did you think I wanted to create one for?

Now, since I am back at my apartment, I need to find the carrot I threw away. Memo to self, I need to clean this place up. Geez, I have scattered ramen noodle cups everywhere, I have a pizza box, a couple cheeseburger wrappers, my pants are over a chair, at least I took care of my jackets, they are hung up neatly. Where was I? Oh yeah, I was ranting about my messy room. The stove has grease all over it; my fruit bowl is now crawling with ants, memo to self: throw the fruit out, I have another crack in the wall, punched it too hard when I got pissed. Forgot why I was pissed though.

I have to clean up where I sleep, my clothes need washed, the garbage needs taken out; I have a bowl of vegetables, memo to self: throw those out; I have a stupid broomstick leaning against the door. Why do I even have one of those? I don't use it! I also have a mop, but I don't see the point in it. Those stupid bills are starting to get annoying. Some of them seem a little ridiculous to me as well. My phone bill is 129$, but I don't even own a damn phone! I swear, I was going to find out where they got these numbers, and in some cases, where I got the bills, not mentioning my lack of phone or anything.

Anyway, I think I am done ranting. Now, where was I? Oh yeah, I was getting a carrot. Lets see, there it is! Top item on the garbage can. All right, now, where does the Hokage live again? Let's see, go past the Uchiha sector about three blocks, turn right when you see a mailbox that looks like a turtle. I also had to get all the stuff there, and complete the thing after he got home, while he was asleep. Well, I suppose I could go around the town and talk to everyone. Yeah, that seems the best option right about now.

I walk out the door, and hop over the edge of the railing. I threw my hands out and grabbed the pole on the way down, and use the momentum to swing forward. I let go at the peak of my height, and flew through the air. I did a back flip, and straightened myself in the air. I landed on a branch of a tree near my apartment. I looked over the land, and realized it was later than I thought it was. The sun was setting, and this was a nice view. However, I knew of a better view: On top of the Hokage Mountain. However, seeing the orange, red, pink, and blue colors collide in the air always left me a little breathless. It was a beautiful sight, and it didn't cost me a yen to see. Truly, some of the best things in the world are free.

However, I'm done looking at the setting sun; I'm going to town now. I'll pull my prank off in the middle of the night. Until then, I let off a grin; it was time for some fun. I jump off of the tree onto the closest building, and run across it. I jump onto the next building, and I roll into a standing up position and continue running without breaking my stride. It was fun to do this, but I had to find someone. It was boring not being able to annoy one of them, their reactions were always funny.

Wait, who is that I spy down there? Is that Sakura? Fun time! Well, I suppose it could be someone who dyed their hair pink, but I seriously doubt it. "Hey Sakura-chan!" I yell from the rooftops.

She stopped, and looked up with a bewildered look. "Naruto?" She said in more of a question than actually saying my name.

"Well, isn't that a nice way to treat your teammate?" I said, jumping down from the roof. "You can't even tell it is me, when I am the only one who calls you Sakura-chan? You really hurt my pride you know." I told her, with my favorite grin on my face.

"Naruto, what are you doing here?" Sakura told me in a flat voice. You know, I used to think it was a smart thing to pretend to have a crush on her. Nowadays, I am wondering what I was thinking. I think one of the villagers slipped something into my drink, trying to get me to do something really stupid like walk alone down an alley.

"Sakura-chan, I am only saying 'hi.' What, is it now illegal to say hi to someone you know?" I ask her in a serious/ scared voice.

Sakura just stared at me, and then slapped her forehead. "Sakura, you don't tell Naruto things like that. He might actually do something even stupider than normal if you do." Sakura muttered to herself. I barely made out the words, but I knew what she said.

"I love you too." I mutter under my breathe in a sarcastic tone.

"You say something Naruto?" Sakura asked me.

"Nothing!" I said a little too quickly for my liking.

Sakura eyed me suspiciously, and then sighed. "Well Naruto, since you are here, what do you want?"

Well, time to give my standard question, and get shot down. Yeah, my life was a little too predictable. "Sakura-chan, do you want to go out later?" I ask her, in as serious of a voice as I can muster.

Sakura puts her head in her hands, and then asks "Naruto, how many times have you asked me that question?"

I have asked you about 1,465 times. "I have no idea Sakura-chan. A lot, I know that much."

"Naruto, what has been the answer every single time?" She asks me, her hands still cupping her head.

Let's see, the most common answer is no, Hell no, Burn in Hell Naruto, come any closer and I will punch you, get away from me, I need to file a restraining order, and, my personal favorite, do you want your nuts ripped off and shoved down your throat? "You usually say 'No' Sakura-chan." I said to her.

"So, what tells you that this will be any different than normal?" She asks, her head still being clasped.

Nothing does. Well, I had better come up with a stupid answer. Well, I could do a classic I suppose. "It is a new day, so I thought I had a chance!" I said, bouncing with energy.

"Naruto…" Sakura said, her head lifting from her hands.

"Yes Sakura-chan? Is something wrong?" I asked her. This should be good.

"Do you want your nuts ripped off and shoved down your throat?" She asked me in a serious voice.

"Um, no, can't say I do." I told her.

"Well, there is my answer." She said in a flat voice.

"So, if I said yes to that question, you would go out with me?" I asked her in a hyperactive voice. Ok, now I had better prepare to run.

"NARUTO!" Sakura yelled at me, pulling a kunai from her pouch. Ok, she was getting a little more serious than usual. Well, she had never pulled a kunai out on me before.

"S-Sakura-chan, what are you doing?" I ask her, my voice a little shaken. Truth be told, I was a little shaken. I usually only have to worry about her fist. Ok, maybe taunting Sakura wasn't the smartest thing to do today.

"Naruto, you have three seconds to get out of here before I use this thing." Sakura said to me, holding the kunai in a menacing manner.

Even when I am acting stupid, I wouldn't be dumb enough to stick around. At least, I don't think I would be. "See you later Sakura-chan!" I called out in a hurried voice, and then I took off down the street.

All right, it may look like I am running away at top speed from nothing, and truth be told, I was. However, it is better than pissing off Sakura when she has a kunai. When she wants to, she can throw those things with even more accuracy than an expert bowman hitting a target fifty feet away.

All right, I think I am far enough away that she won't kill me. Now, all I need to do is catch my breathe. Dear God, why do these things happen to me when I am leaving? Only one thing could make this day worse… "Yo." Kakashi-sensei said, appearing right next to me in a cloud of smoke.

I swear, one of these times he is going to do that, ay his little 'yo' and then I will hand him a yo-yo, and say "Here you go!" However, I don't exactly have a yo-yo, so it might be a while. "Kakashi-sensei, what are you doing here?" I ask him, a little curious. Shouldn't you be off lost on the road of life or something?

"Well Naruto, I thought I would check up on my cute little students." Kakashi-sensei said, his nose buried in his book.

"Kakashi-sensei, out of curiosity, what would happen if someone burned your book?" I asked him. He travels with that thing everywhere, you would think it was bearing his child or something

Kakashi-sensei disappeared, and appeared in front of me, glaring at me menacingly with his one eye. That made it more frightening actually. "That won't happen will it Naruto?" He asked me in a voice that told me I had better pick the right answer.

"Of course not, let's just say hypothetically." I tell him, starting to form sweat on my fore head. I may be smarter than I let on, but Kakashi-sensei could probably still beat me with one arm. If I was lucky, I had improved enough to get him to use both.

Kakashi-sensei put his book away, and then said "Well Naruto, I would probably take whoever burned my book, take them to a forest, tie them down, and the cut them all over the body so that the animals in the forest could smell him. He would see as the animals tore him apart, well, until scavengers ripped his eyes out."

Ok, don't burn the book. I was entertaining the idea, but that death sounds a little too painful for my liking. "Well, Kakashi-sensei, do you want to train me?" I ask him. I could actually learn a thing or two from you still. Or, you could at least give me a tough training session.

"Sorry Naruto, you know I am horrible at teaching people how to fight." Kakashi-sensei told me, pulling out that stupid book of his. I swear if I ever felt like having a horrible twisted death, I was going to burn that book. Get one good thing out of my death.

"Could you at least give me a good training schedule?" I ask him. I was willing to accept leftovers at this point.

"Naruto, I'm not that good at training people. Trust me; it wouldn't be a good thing if I trained you." Kakashi-sensei said putting his nose into his book again.

"I said a training schedule!" I yelled into his ears. Good points to acting stupid, people usually don't yell at you for violating their personal space.

"Naruto, my training schedule would be a little too rigorous for you." Kakashi-sensei told me, never looking up from his book.

"Well, lay it on me! It's not like I can't try at least!" I told him, in a peppy excited voice.

"Very Well Naruto, get a piece of paper, and a pen, and meet me back here." Kakashi-sense told me.

Finally, I was getting somewhere with the guy! Now, all I have to do is find some paper and something to write with. Aha! There we go, someone threw this perfectly good piece of paper on the ground, and someone dropped a pen near it! Looks like I might get something good out of today! I rush back to where Kakashi-sensei is, only to find out he was gone. I scanned the area, but I didn't see him anywhere. That bastard, I really had to find out how he disappeared. It would come in so handy with the kind of life I had.

Well, it was pretty dark outside right now, so I might be able to pull off my prank. I would have preferred a training schedule, but the prank will have to do for now. Ok, time to get to my apartment. I dash off, and go straight to my apartment. Passed a couple drunks, one threw some ice cream at me. Don't know why he did, but it sure tasted good! So, I wasn't going to be mad at him. At least, I wouldn't be mad at him today. After all, free food was hard for me to come by.

Ok, now I was back at my apartment. Wait, I have mail? KUSO! The only mail I get are bills. Wait, I just got my bills yesterday, why would I be getting more today? What! My phone bill is 153$! I just got a phone bill yesterday! What am I talking about; I don't even own a phone! That's it; I'm quitting paying my phone bill. I plan to leave Konoha soon, and I don't see the point in paying my phone bill. What are they going to do? Turn off my phone? Somehow, I get a feeling I would lose my electricity. It wouldn't be the first time. Not paying your credit card bills, I don't own any of those either, somehow got my heating turned off.

Anyway, back to the prank. Let's see, I have the two olives, the ice cube tray, and a carrot. Mud will be easy to get. I only need to add water to dirt. Time to get to work…

(Time Skip. I don't want to explain the details, it would take too long. I'm lazy, leave me alone.)

Ah, I can't wait till tomorrow morning. I need to be near the Hokage's house before he wakes up, shouldn't be a problem. I always have energy to spare when I go to bed. Well, time to hit the sack. I pull off my clothes, and change into my pajamas. Why did I get a sleeping cap that looks like it was eating me again? Oh yeah, I won it in a bet against Kiba. So, I might as well use it. I fall onto my bed, well, futon, and then I go into a sleep about the Uchihas in the street just keeling over and dieing at random times. However, the people only looked at it as though it was a natural occurrence.

Ah, good morning! Well, it might be better if my futon wasn't soaked with sweat. Damn nightmares are starting to get worse and worse. I swear Sasuke, if I find out your blood is cursed, I am going to rip your skull out and beat you to death with it! It sounds impossible, I know, but I will find a way to do it. Oh yeah! I had to get to Old-Man's house immediately!

Let's see, I brushed my teeth, took a shower, have clean underwear on. What am I missing? Oh yeah, I need my forehead protector. Duh, how could I forget that! Sometimes, I think I could get a couple more I.Q. points than I already have. Well, if I actually felt like it. I'm lazy like Shikamaru, but in my own way. Speaking of Pineapple head, I wonder how he is doing.

Well, I'll talk to him later. Ok, now I just have to make it to the Hokage's house before he wakes up. Easy enough. I dash out of my apartment, making special care to make sure it is locked, and the windows are shut and locked. Every time I leave it unlocked, someone steals some of my stuff. Heck, one moron even stole my jar of peanut butter. I don't know why he did, I had money right next to the jar, but the idiot decided to steal the peanut butter. I was going to have to work on getting smarter enemies so that they provide at least a small challenge.

Now then, where was I? Oh yeah, I have to make it to the Old-Man's house. Lets go! I take off dashing over the railing but apparently, someone removed the pole I usually grab on my free fall. Great, guess I'll have to do it the old fashioned way. I charged some chakra to the bottom of my feet, and stuck to the wall of the building I was living in. Yeah, it was dull compared to how I usually got down, and I think they got rid of the pole to annoy me. It was working a little.

Well, I jump off into the tree I usually do. It was nice to know they didn't cut that down. I jumped off, and ran all the way to the Hokage's house. I peeked inside his window. He was still asleep. The mud I had used, I noticed, had hardened. I heard some stirring inside the building, and heard some foot steps going to his window. Here it comes…

He opened his window blinds, and staring him in the face, was a giant mud man. It had two olives for eyes, a carrot for a nose, and ice cube tray for a mouth, and a couple sticks pointing at him in a menacing manner. He did the natural thing, he screamed. "WHAT THE HELL IS ALL THIS!" He screamed in a panicked voice, until he realized it wasn't real. He had to get rid of the fire ball in his hand though.

"Naruto, I know you are out there. You are the only guy who would even consider pulling a prank on the Hokage, let alone pulling one off." He said in an angry tone.

Yeah, like I was going to come out. I had a hard enough time from breaking out laughing; it was even funnier when he formed a fireball in his hands. I didn't think he would take it that seriously! "Naruto, either get out here now, or I will forbid you from leaving Konoha ever again." He said in a dead serious voice.

My breathe caught. He had to be joking right? "You have till the count of three." He said, raising a fist. One finger shot up, and he said "One." Then a couple second later, he raised a second finger, and said "Two" He waited a little longer than last time, and began to raise his third finger.

"HOLD ON!" I yelled at him. "I'm right here!" I waved my hands to show him where I was.

"Naruto, why did you do this?" He asked me in a serious voice.

"I was bored! What did you expect me to do while I waited for an answer? Sit around patiently like a good little boy? Yeah right, you of all people should know me better than that." I told him.

"Naruto you do know that this can be considered a grievous offence to do this to a Hokage right?" He asked me in a disbelieving voice.

"What's your point?" I ask him, standing on my toes. Will he just give me an answer already!

"Never mind Naruto." Old-Man said, clutching his forehead. That seems to be a popular reaction to me these days. "Anyways, I suppose you want to know the answer to your question, am I right?" He asked me, taking his hand away from his forehead.

"Yeah I do!" I yelled up at him. He grinned.

"Are you sure you want to know Naruto?" He asked me in a jovial manner.

"Yes I'm sure!" I yelled up at him, excitement coursing through me.

"Are you positive you want to know?" He asked me again. He had a wide grin on his face.

All right, now I think he is just playing with me. I pull out a kunai, and throw it so that it cuts off a small piece of his hair, but misses him completely. "Just give me the damn answer!" I yell out at him. Sometimes, you need a more direct approach than usual.

"All right, just calm down Naruto!" The Hokage said, scratching his head where the kunai had cut his hair. "They said you could leave, but only for a maximum of three years. If you aren't here by your sixteenth birthday, they are going to declare you a nuke-nin. Do you got that!" He bellowed that last part to me.

"Suppose I die?" I yell at him.

"Then I want to see a corpse!" The Hokage yelled down to me. "Unless I see a corpse, I won't believe you of all people are dead. And even if I do see a corpse, I would think there is a fifty percent chance that you are still alive."

Wow, the guy had a lot more confidence in me than I thought. "Ok, but when am I allowed to leave?" I ask him.

"You can leave today if you want, but only after you get rid of this thing!" The Hokage said, indicating the mud man I had made for him.

"You really want to get rid of it?" I ask him, mocking losing my heart. "I spent hour after hour slaving away fro you, and this is how you repay me!" I said, trying to from tears in my eyes. I didn't get any tears though; too busy trying not to laugh.

"Naruto, stop being melodramatic and clean up this mess! I'm going to my office, and if this thing isn't gone by the time I get back, I am going to hunt you down wherever you are, and force you to read Kakashi's book, do I make myself clear!" He yelled down to me.

"Crystal." I told him. He wanted it gone by the time he got back? Fine, I can do that. I watched as he walked away from his house, after he freshened up of course, and then went to his office. When I saw he was far enough away, I got to work. Only took me thirty seconds. Okay, I put a henge on it to make it look like the land around his house, with the middle and top looking like a background. It would be gone when he got back, but it would be back in the morning.

Okay, so all I have to do now is get some stuff together, and leave for a while. Shouldn't be too hard. No one would really miss me; after all, it isn't like anyone really likes me or anything! A couple people tolerate me, but that is only because they have to. Mainly my own team of course. However, when one of them is busy reading a book, another one is plotting revenge, and the other one will more than likely beat you down before anything else, I can't really say I will miss them.

Ok, so I got some stuff from my apartment. Mainly, I got all my money, some extra clothes, some food, travel kind of course. I also packed some tooth paste, some floss, toothbrush, and some soap. You never know when something unfortunate will happen to you along the road, so I might have to take a bath at some point during my travels.

Now, it is off to the main gate. Well, the North one at least. I planned to go East, but if I leave from the North gate, people might think I am going to a different country. Should throw off any pursuit by normal people. Mainly, drunks who don't want to leave me alone.

Ok, so I made it to the main gate. Wait, what am I thinking? Was I expecting some kind of ambush or something? I really have to stop being paranoid. "N-Naruto-kun?" I heard a shy timid voice behind me.

Well, there was only one girl I knew who was timid around me, and the only girl I know who hasn't tried to hurt me. Well, net yet anyways. "Hinata! What are you doing here?" I ask her a little surprised.

"W-Well N-Naruto-kun, I heard a strange rumor." She said, poking two of her fingers together. I swear, she only acts like this around me. I really have to ask her about her strange behavior.

"What kind of rumor have you heard so far?" I asked her. Did my prank on the Hokage get out already? That was faster than usual.

"N-Naruto-kun, is it true you are leaving Konoha?" She asked me, and then she looked away from me.

"Yeah, I'm leaving Konoha. I have permission from the Hokage after all." I told her, giving a grin to her.

Her face turned a little red from my grin, but other than that, she seemed ok. "But…Why are you leaving Konoha?" She asked me.

Well, I never expected her to ask that question. "Well Hinata, it is…it is for personal reasons." I told her, thinking about my recent memories.

"Naruto-kun, won't you consider staying?" She asked me, trying hard to look me in the face, but failing. She really had some confidence issues to work on. That and I hear her father calls her weak all the time. Probably doesn't help her confidence either.

"Hinata, I plan on leaving, and that is final. Nothing you say or do will stop me." I told her in a serious voice. Well, that should get her to leave me alone.

"W-W-Well Naruto-kun, can I come with you?" She asked me, growing even redder in the face.

Where had that come from? Well, I wasn't going to take her, so it doesn't really matter. "Hinata, you aren't coming with me. You would need permission from the Hokage, and your father. You might get permission from the Hokage, but your father would forbid it. You know that as well as I do." I told her.

"What if I don't ask them, and just leave with you?" She asks me.

Well, I think that was the first time that she told me a sentence without stuttering. However, she isn't coming with me, and that is final. "Hinata, I'm not taking you with me. That is final." I told her, in another serious voice.

"I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU SAY, I'M GOING!" Hinata screamed at me.

Where had that sudden outburst come from? It was also the first time I had heard her raise her voice to me. She really wants to come with me, so I only had one choice: I had to break her spirit. It was nice to know that she had developed one, and that she was going to get a back bone soon. I feel like a complete dick since I have to break that spirit though. "Hinata, you can't come with me, you are too weak." I told her in a firm voice.

"Weak?" Hinata asked me in the form of a question.

"Yes weak." I told her. God, I feel like something that should be hung by a rope. "You don't have nearly my stamina, you can't possibly beat me in a fight, you are too shy, and you probably couldn't kill someone if you had to."

"Do you really think all that about me?" Hinata asked in an unsure voice.

No I don't. "Yes. You want to come with me? Do it when you are someone who is actually strong in this village. Show me you can be strong, and I would take you with me, but that isn't happening is it? You haven't really gained any strength, if anything; you seemed to have weakened at the academy. You try to make friends, and you were successful. However, you seem to rely on them for protection instead of using your own strength. What is stopping you from being a burden to me?" I asked her. Damn, I know I have to do this for her, but that doesn't stop me from hating myself because of it.

"Naruto-kun…" She said my name as though I was some sort of bond, keeping her from falling apart.

"Hinata, just Naruto. No suffix, no nothing. At the rate you are going, you will never amount to anything. Maybe you should just go back to the academy, and make some friends to help you through your harsh times. However, you will always need friends, never able to rely on yourself for strength. Good bye." I said to her, and then I ran down the road.

I heard Hinata begin to cry, and I knew I had broken her spirit. I felt like an ass, that much was true. However, this is something I have to do alone. I just hope Hinata can eventually forgive me.

General Badaxe- Before any Hinata fans chew my head off, I felt a little bad about writing that last part. Look, I am a NaruXHina fan myself, so give me some credit alright? Anyway, the next chapters should be longer, this was only the introduction. Usually my chapters are at least 10,000 words. Anyway, tell me what you think I can improve, and see you all some other time.

P.S.-I would like to thank Specula for helping me with my grammatical and spelling errors. However, my brother deleted your e-mail before I got a chance to read it, so I don't exactly know what is says. So, I went over the chapter again, and improved as many things as I could. Hope it is enough. And Specula, If my document was a problem when i p.m.ed you, you will need to tell me your E-mail address.


	2. Chapter 2

General Badaxe- Amazing, I plan to get away with a short A.N. on this Naruto fic, for the first time in about eight Naruto chapters. Thank God. Anyway, Kayla, please don't tell me how to write my fic. I would be willing to do a little side quest for something you wanted to see for one or two chapters, such as a ghost contacts him and asks him to put his soul to rest, I would be willing to do something like that for a chapter or two. Other than that, please don't tell me how to write a fic. Thank you. Hoyt, is it such a bad thing they are slow moving? It means I can put some more detail, and it also doesn't make the storyline seem rushed. If I wanted to, I could make him leave the village in 1k words, but I like to flesh things out a little more. So, all reviews answered, on with the fic! (Yep, short A.N.)

Ok, I know I should feel bad for breaking Hinata's spirit, but should I feel bad for three days! I know I was a complete ass, but come on, this guilt trip is lasting a little too long for my liking. On top of that, I forgot my map. I can't believe I forgot my map. How did I plan to know where I was traveling without one! This week isn't so hot for me. Well, let me rephrase that, it wasn't a good week for me. I was pretty hot; being in the desert will do that to you. I need to find a town, purchase a map, and then decide where I am going. I also need to refill my water canteens; I was down to my last two.

Things could be worse, I could be wearing black. Well, with that thought, I continue down the road. The sun was overhead as usual, it was a blazing day. Felt about two hundred degrees out, but it was probably about one hundred to one hundred and ten degrees. Maybe a little warmer. I saw a cactus about ever one hundred feet, and sand was everywhere. It got into everything as well, I swear, if I pull out my canteen and accidentally pour sand in my mouth one more time, I am going to run all the way to the next stupid town! Ok, maybe not, I would dehydrate a lot faster that way.

Wait, there is a sign. Let's see… Cargenten town, next mile. Never heard of it, but if it has water and food, I am willing to go there. So, continue walking the path I was taking. Well, it was nice to know a town was ahead, but did they really have to put a sign telling you where it is when there is only one path to take? I suppose some nut would try walking through the desert, but they would probably die before they got too far. Good riddance, one less idiot for me to deal with.

Well, I was in the town, now if everyone would stop glaring at me. I swear, I walked through the gate at the entrance, and every pair of eyes in the town locked on to me. A little unnerving, and so I was planning to get out of the town as quickly as possible. Pay for food, pay for extra water for my canteens, buy a map, and be off. Sounds easy enough, but knowing me, trouble is following me around.

I think I will stop at the local tavern first, there s the best place for food and water. Possibly a map if it is good enough. This place was a little old fashioned as well, the buildings were all made of wood, but most of them didn't have any windows, the only places that did appeared to be the places that looked like they made money. Some of the homes didn't even have doors, just a blanket covering them to make sure no one got in. That wouldn't stop robbers. And, the only doors I did see appeared on the tavern, and they swung open both ways, and didn't have locks. They also didn't have a bottom, and didn't have a top. Not a place for peaceful people, that much is sure.

Before I walk into the tavern, I double check my shurikens and kunai, I have enough. This place didn't have a store that sold them, so I was going to have to be sparing on them. Well, I was going to avoid a fight altogether, but some things just couldn't be helped. Well, since I have everything, I walk into the tavern.

Well, this scene looks familiar. I walk in, everyone stares at me. However, these men look like experienced killers, so I was hoping a fight wouldn't start. I could probably beat them, but I didn't want to find out one of them secretly has ninja training. I might have to get a little rough with that one and I didn't need to fight in this heat. Most of their eyes held the same question 'What is a kid doing in here?' But, I didn't pay them any mind. I was looking at one of them, he didn't have that question in his eyes, no, his eyes were appraising me, how I walked, and eyeing the kunai and shuriken pouches I had.

I looked him over, and well, he wasn't that intimidating. He had reddish-brown hair cut short to the back of his neck. He had green eyes, not the piercing kind though. He had a kind face, and had wonder in his eyes. He had a soft smile on his face, as though he knew why I was here, and didn't mean any harm. He had on a light red short sleeved shirt, it had a small opening on his chest, and it appeared to have been cut out with a sword. The color was almost verging on pink, but somehow screaming that it is red, and if you think it is pink, it will kick your ass. A strange feeling, but I ignored it. He had on a pair of white pants, except that they appeared to hold someone who had wider legs, but then it fit snugly around his waste. A strange appearance and he had a katana at his belt. It appeared to belong there, as though he was born with it on. He probably knows how to use it too, so don't tick him off. The katana appeared about a four foot blade, and a one and a half foot hilt. A little short for a katana, but he didn't seem to care. He also had scars, and from what I could tell, quite a few. He had one starting right below his right eye, and going down to the top of his neck. Another scar going from his forehead to the tip of his nose. He also had another scar running from his fingers, to about halfway up his left arm. A strange scar on his chest, in the shape of a horned demon. It appeared to be more of a birthmark, but the darkness of it could only be a scar cut. He probably had more, but I could only see those major scars. He had too many minor scars to describe.

He saw me looking at him, and motioned for me to sit down. I shook my head no, but he just got an earnest smile on his face, and motioned for me to sit again. I shook my head no again, and then went to the tavern bartender. "Bartender, how much will it cost to refill eight canteens of water?" I ask him. I felt some people behind me stiffen. Not a good sign.

"It will cost you about ten thousand yen." He told me. I looked him over, and he wasn't impressive. He was a bit pudgy, but it looked a little more like muscle than fat. He had small beady brown eyes, and no hair. A light green shirt, and sweat pants on. Nothing truly distinguishing.

"Are you kidding me?" I ask him in a disbelieving voice. "Ten thousand yen for water!"

"Kid, this is the desert, we can't get water as often as other places. So, it costs more. Supply and demand you know?" He told me, finishing wiping a glass clean.

"Well, I suppose I will take it then." I told him, pulling out ten thousand yen. I handed it to him, and my canteens. I felt someone put their hand on my left shoulder. It was a big hand, with muscle behind it. The kind of hand people who think muscle solves everything get.

"Hey gaki, I will hold that money for you. Who knows what kind of bad men would come and take it from you?" He told me. His breathe stunk of alcohol, and I heard some drunken laughter behind him. Yet one more reason I hate drunks.

"When can I come pick my money back up kind sir?" I asked him, trying to keep my right hand from clenching into a fist.

"Why gaki, I am willing to hold it for you forever. Isn't that nice of me? So, are you going to let me have it?" He asked me.

I heard the bartender filling up my second canteen, and decided to time myself. "Why yes good sir, I will gladly let you have it." I told him in complete honesty.

I whipped my left arm around his right one, and wrenched it off of my shoulder. I clench my right hand into a fist, and slam it into his jaw. He went flying through the air, and landed on a table, and broke it in half. I checked, about half of a canteen. I looked back at the guy, and he was trying to stand. He seemed to slip on the hard wood floor. He was definitely very drunk.

"Hey guys, what are you doing?" He asked to the people who were laughing at me a little bit ago. "Are you going to just let him do that to me?"

I looked around, and everything else in the bar stopped. I really should have kept a lower profile. Only the people he was sitting with brandished weapons though, so I was very thankful. However, I still had to deal with four others with weapons, and I didn't want them to know I had ninja training. I took my forehead protector off when I entered the town. I didn't plan to put it back on until after I was done traveling either.

They all had short swords, but they were twice as thick as they usually were. Great, I didn't need this. "Hey, orange guy, I will deal with them." Said the man who invited me to sit with him earlier.

He stood up, and the used his thumb to push the katana a little out of it's sheathe. Then, he put it back in his sheathe. "I won't need it." He muttered more to himself than to anyone else.

The guy walked in front of me, and then said "You are an interesting character." Then, the drunks rushed him.

The fastest one got there first, and took a swing at the ma in front of me. The guy in front of me dropped to the floor, no…he dropped onto one hand, and swung himself around with his legs extended, and tripped the guy in front of him. The drunk started to fall, and the guy in front of me pushed upward with his hands, and did a back flip kick into the drunk's stomach, and sent him twirling into the three behind the guy. All of them stumbled to the ground.

"What is your name kid?" He asked me, standing as though he didn't really do anything.

"Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto." I told him, a little surprised. This guy wasn't someone you underestimate.

"Names Karell. Tsaratoga Karell." He told me, and then rushed at the drunks.

Karell dived onto his hands, and spun his entire body around, and split his legs apart, and kicked two of the drink in the head, and then he grabbed another drunk between his legs, and twisted his entire body and threw him. Using the momentum of the twist, he flipped onto his legs in front of another drunk, and jammed the hilt of his katana into the guys gut. The guy lurched over; and Karell jammed his knee into the guys face. The guy flew over the table, and onto the so called leader I already decked. "You guys are useless." The leader said, getting up in a drunken fashion after throwing his lackey off of him.. He pulled a blade off of his back, and it was huge. About twice as tall as me, how did I miss it? It was far above his back, was I that blinded by my anger? Memo to self: work on controlling emotions.

"If that is the way you want to play…" Karell said, as he pulled out his katana. It let out a clear ringing of steal leaving a scabbard, but it looked more like a sword returning home into his hands. Suddenly, Karell disappeared! I saw him on the other side of the drunk with the huge sword.

The drunk had wide open eyes, and appeared to be breathing heavily. Then I saw a strange crack on his sword, then another and another. Wait, they're not cracks, they are lines! Suddenly, the guy's sword topples over, and falls onto the ground, cut into 5 different pieces. Then, the drunk's clothes seemed to blow up, and he was standing there, in nothing but his underwear. Did Karell do that?

I saw him sheathe his katana, and then he said "You might not want to do that in public mister. People might lose the little respect they had for you."

The bartender came around, and then dropped my water canteens onto the floor. "Grageor!" The bartender hollered. "What the Hell are you doing in my pub in nothing but your underwear!"

This guy didn't hear his table break, or people get thrown around? He needs to work on his hearing. Suddenly, someone grabbed my hand, it was Karell. "We need to get out of here before people point us out for the trouble." He told me, dragging me outside. I was barely able to grab my water filled canteens.

He let go of my hand, and I followed him. We ran down the street, and rounded a corner into an alley. We pressed our backs into the shade, and waited a little bit. We barely breathed, only enough to stay alive and not pass out. We saw a couple drunken men pass us, telling each other this was the way we went. I felt some sweat trickle down my forehead, from the heat, or the worry, I didn't know. I wasn't sacred of the drunks, far from it. I was more worried about being able to get food and a map now.

We waited a good three minutes, or was it two? Anyway, we waited about that long in the alley, until Karell said it was ok to come out. "Do you enjoy starting trouble or something?" He asked me, and he appeared to be holding in a laugh.

"No, trouble usually comes looking for me." I told him, thinking of all the drunks in my village who have hunted me down.

"Well, maybe you should learn to keep a lower profile." He told me, fingering the hilt of his katana.

Did this guy plan to mug me? I hope not, I couldn't keep up with him in the bar. It might be a little different when I am facing him, but I don't need to deal with this right now. "Something wrong?" He asks me, never stopping his hand from caressing the handle of the katana.

"Are you going to try to mug me?" I ask him in a flat voice.

He gives me a puzzled look, and then asks "What? Why would I do that?"

"Well, you are playing with the handle of your katana, as though you are deciding if you should draw it or not." I told him, placing a kunai in my hands. I kept it hidden behind my back.

"What?" He asks me in a confused voice. Then he looks at his hand, and gives a start of surprise. He pulls his hand away and then gets a small blush on his face. "Sorry about that, when I have nothing to o, my hand tends to play with the katana I have. Sorry if I startled you."

I don't think he was lying, but I wasn't about to trust him. I looked up, and the sun was slowly falling below the dessert, and then it would be freezing. I needed to find a place to sleep, get some food, and find a map. I was going to get an inn as well I'm a little tired of sleeping out in the open. "Karell, I have to get going. I'll see you around." I told him. The chances of me running into him again were fairly slim though.

"Well, see you around Naruto." He told me, waving his hand, and then walked into a crowd of passerby's. I looked, and he seemed to have disappeared, camouflage by using a crowd? I'll learn how to do that.

Until then, I better get out of here. I walk out of the Alley, and into the crowd. I walked with hem, some of them left, others joined us. However, I needed to find a store that sold maps. Where was I going to find one of those? I could try the convenience store; this place really needs an information booth somewhere.

Well, there is my convenience store, but other than that, nothing really new here. Well, I suppose I might as well. As I enter the convenience store, a small bell above the door goes off to announce I was there. Well, it works I suppose. I walk up to the lady at the counter, she looked about fifty, with her gray hair done neatly in a bun. "Excuse me miss, do you sell maps here?" I ask her.

"Why yes we do sonny!" She exclaimed in an exuberant voice. "We have maps of the continent, and some of the islands around it, maps of small countries, and even maps that show how you use dentures! Just kidding about that last one, so, what kind of map do you need?"

Sonny? "I need a map of the continent, with some islands around it if you would please." I told her.

"Such manners sonny boy! Tell you what you can have this map for free!" She exclaimed in an excited voice.

Sonny boy? "Thanks." I told her as she handed me the map. This person made me a tad uncomfortable. "Well, I have to go now. See you later." I said walking out the door. I probably wasn't coming back.

I went back into the crowd, and continued to walk on. Getting the map was easier than I thought it would be. Now I need a place to sleep and some food. If I found an inn, I could probably get both. I round the corner, and so far, no inn. The streets grew thicker with people, trying to get shopping or whatever they were doing out of the way before it becomes frigid. Can't blame them, I could already see my breath as I huffed along.

I looked down for a second, trying to warm up and let the shivers pass, when I smacked my head into something hard in front of me. I started rubbing my head, and said out loud "What the hell?"

I looked up, and saw a sign for an inn. It had a bed, and an angel sleeping in it peacefully. It also had the word INN in big bold letters above the angel. Ironic how I am a Jinchuriki. Well, I don't think that Kami-sama will smite me for sleeping in here. So, I'll give it a shot.

The inn had the same double doors that the tavern had. So, don't rely on this place for protection. A couple people were sitting around, having what looks like a beef stew. Well, I might as well get some while I am here. I look around, and the person at the counter is a young man. He has short brown hair, and grey eyes. He didn't appear to have much muscle, but I didn't either so who was I to talk? "Excuse me," I say walking up to him "how much is a room and some food?"

"It is ten thousand yen for both." He told me. "An extra five hundred yen if you want water."

Wait, I paid eight thousand yen to fill my canteens. I really hate that tavern bartender. "I'll take it." I tell him, laying the money on the counter. I checked, I had about two hundred thirty five thousand seven hundred and fifteen yen left. I was going to need to find a place to get some money, or I would have to resort to stealing eventually.

"Thank you sir. You will have room seventeen, and your dinner will be ready momentarily. Until then, you can drop your stuff off in your room." He told me.

I wasn't going to ask for a shower, they are probably way too much to be worth it. I walk up the stair, and noticed a broken pair of steps going up as well. They probably needed money for repairs soon. Let's see, room fifteen, sixteen…here we go. Room seventeen. I open the door with the key the receptionist gave me.

It was a cozy room, it was a little bigger than my apartment as well. A nice little bonus. It had a small bed, made for only one in the room. Really glad I didn't bring Hinata. Guilt suddenly hit me like a kunai through the stomach. Damn it, stupid guilt, LEAVE ME ALONE! I'm sorry, but I had to do it! And now, I'm having an argument with myself. Today can only get worse with my luck.

After having the argument with myself, I drop off my back pack with my clothes and other accessories off, and walk back downstairs. I stumble on one of the broken steps, but other than that, everything is ok. The receptionist at the desk told me where I was supposed to sit, and I saw that the stew was already ready for me. I ate it, it tasted ok, but they went extremely heavy on the spices. I really could have lived without that. I finished it though, and then I went to bed.

The spices were thick on the stew, I was sweating heavily. Too heavily in this weather. Pain seared through my body in a sudden rush, starting at my heart, and racing through my blood. The pain engulfed my body, and I clutched my heart. The pain was the greatest there. I was panting, my throat closed, I was having a hard time breathing. I felt my eyes bulge, it was painful. Too painful, I couldn't take it. A dark swampy blackness engulfed me.

I woke up, in a room filled with water. There were narrow corridors, and random pipes going this way and that. Where was I? I use my hands to push myself onto my feet. The pain from earlier was gone, and so was the hopeless feeling. I felt at home in this place, however, this place was also like a cemetery to me. It was a little dark and eerie. I saw a couple corridors leading around the place. What choice did I have? I walked through them.

It was pretty uneventful, and my feet were soaked. Then again, my front body was soaked as well, landing in this water will do that to you. Was I still in the desert? If I was, this place has more water than I think it should. Something strange was going.

Well, I found something worth mentioning. I found a pair of HUGE steel gates, with a piece of paper over them that said 'Seal.' Where was this place, and why is that gate sealed? Is it the way out? If it is, why is the seal on the side where I can rip it off? Oh well, I shouldn't complain, just get rid of the seal, and get out of here. Should be easy. Then why did I feel like I was killing myself doing this?

I walk up to the gate, and apply chakra to my feet. I walked up to the gate, to the seal. I grab a hold of the seal, and then rip it off. I drop to the ground, smacking my head, and clutching my stomach. Searing pain was at the center of my gut, as though someone had torn it in half. Damn it hurt, what just happened? The pain went away, just as suddenly as it had come. This place was strange.

Suddenly, the two gates swung open, and they smashed me across the room, and into the wall. I hurt my head seriously, and my body didn't feel good after being hit with a pair of steel doors. Doors that swing both ways are a hazard to your health. This has been proven in the desert, and in…wherever I was.

I heard a feral growl, and froze. What was that? On second thought, I didn't want to know. The room began to shake, small tremors linking together as though someone was creating them. I heard another growl, closer than before. I whipped my head back at the gate, and saw a massive head there. To be more specific, a massive fox head. Well, things weren't looking good; I could already tell people that.

It moved closer, slowly, and I saw tails on it. More than one. Seven, eight, nine. Nine tails. Nine damned bloody tails. Kuso. Fear paralyzed my body. This was the Kyubi? Damn it, was I inside of myself? Was that possible? Well, judging by the looks of things, yes, it was entirely possible. It came closer, some droll dripping from its massive mouth. It's massive mouth full of razor sharp teeth. Don't think like that! You will only scare yourself further! Too late, even more fear lanced through my body.

"**Are you the mortal who I am sealed inside of?"** it growled out at me.

"If I am?" I asked it in a scared little tone. I was scared, so sue me. Here was a demon that could destroy villages; what was I supposed to feel?

"**Then I have one thing to say to you."** It growled out in a feral voice, and some more drool dripped off of its mouth as it said that.

"W-What is it?" I ask backing against the wall as far as I possibly could go. Damn it, was I going to die like this? What a sad way to die, I couldn't really accomplish anything.

The Kyubi stepped closer, and closer. My heartbeat increased as it moved closer, a throbbing reminder of how I was going to die. I just hope it is painless. It moved its giant mouth in front of me. I closed my eyes and turned my head. I didn't want to see this. **"I just wanted to say thank you."**

Huh? I opened my eyes, and turned my head. I saw the same giant fox head. Did I just here it right? "What did you say?" I asked it, wondering if my ears had deceived me.

"**Do I have to repeat myself? I said thank you. As in, I am grateful to finally be free."** It told me. Suddenly, a huge amount of smoke filled the room.

I closed my eyes, and held my breath. Some smoke still caught in my mouth though, so I had to cough it out. What the Hell was that? "Did you do that?" I asked, my voice a little shaken.

I was still a little scared, the demon was still free, and I still could very well die from the thing. "Yes I did." Said a human voice. A human voice that sounded like a girls I might add. I looked up, and I had to double check my eyes to make sure that tricks weren't being played on them.

In front of me, was about a fifteen year old looking girl. She had creamy looking skin, and blood red eyes that were slits. She had some fox ears on top of her head. Curly red hair cascaded down her to the middle of her back, and I saw that nine tails went to meet it. She had on a teal looking shirt with short sleeves, a silver fox running across the shirt. Her breasts hugged against the shirt, they appeared to be somewhere in the C size. She had on some light yellow pants, and they had orange flames running up the pant legs. Her tails were mostly wrapped around her waist, except for three which were waving behind her. She had a grin on her face, as she watched me. She didn't have any scar on her that I could see. Her hands had sharp nails; I suspected they were actually claws. "Anyway, as I said before," She said to me. "Thank you for freeing me!" She exclaimed, throwing her arms around me in a hug. She was a little taller than me I noticed.

Now, not only did I have a free demon inside of me, she planned to kill me by suffocating me to death. "Can't…breathe…" I said.

"Whoops, sorry!" She said dropping me, then giggling.

"Are you planning to kill me?" I asked her, still on my guard. At least, I wanted to assume I was on my guard. Her hugging me was just a slip up. Yeah, keep telling yourself that.

"Silly little boy, I'm not planning to kill you." She said with a giant smile on her face. It was getting really hard for me to believe she was the Kyubi no kitsune.

"Um, my name is Naruto, not 'little boy.'" I told her.

"Naruto is such a mouthful, how about I just call you kit instead?" She said with a giggle.

"But you just said my name!" I told her in an indignant voice.

"I know I did kit." She said, stifling another giggle.

"Kit isn't my name!" I yelled at her.

"It is to me." She said in a playful voice.

"It just… I mean… grah! Just forget it. You are calling me Naruto, and that is final!" I said yelling at her.

"Naruto…" She said with a smile on her face.

"That's better. What is it?" I ask her.

Suddenly, her tails unfurled, and grabbed my arms and legs; she slammed me against the wall, and pinned me down. She held my hands and legs in place, I couldn't budge. She walked up to me, and then said "Naruto, may I have permission to call you kit?" She said it in a sweet voice, which promised pain if I didn't agree.

Let me see, let her call me kit, or she beats me into the ground until I do agree. Well, this was a no-brainer choice. "You have my permission to call me kit." I told her, some panic in my voice.

"I do?" She asked me. "Thank you!" She squealed, using her tails and dragging me into another bone crunching hug. She makes it seem like I did it out of the goodness of my heart.

She dropped me shortly afterwards, and then she giggled again. "Out of curiosity, are you drunk?" I asked her.

"I don't think I am." She said, poking her finger to her cheek in a thinking motion.

"Are you sure you are the Kyubi?" I ask her, disbelief in my voice.

"Let me see, I have nine tails, and I have a giant fox form. Yep, pretty sure I am what you humans call me." She said, nodding her head.

"What do you mean 'what you humans call me'?" I ask her.

"Well, Kyubi isn't my name! What kind of person has the name 'nine-tails'? It is a really bad one. My real name is Syotera Eftchen Xrebthen Yernsa, or you can call me by the acronym Sexy." She told me with a giggle.

"Um…Sexy, how did I get here in the first place?" I asked her.

"AWW!" She exclaimed suddenly. "You just called me sexy, how sweet! You are pretty cute yourself." She said with a wink.

I couldn't speak for a second. When I could talk again, I said "You didn't tell me your real name did you?"

"Nope!" She said, and the she giggled.

"Are you sure you're not drunk?" I asked her again.

"I don't know. Have I tried to kill you yet? I mean really kill you by the way, not threaten you." She told me.

"Um, you haven't tried to kill me yet then. I think." I told her.

"Phew! Ok, I'm not drunk." She told me.

"How would you trying to kill me tell you if I was drunk?" I asked her, a little confused.

"You see kit, when I get drunk; I have a tendency to get really violent. When I'm not drunk, I'm usually a lot more peaceful." She told me.

"Wait, so when you attacked Konoha all those years ago…" I said, letting the thought trail off.

"Yep!" She exclaimed. "You got it; I was very, very drunk! And let me tell you, I woke up to find myself sealed inside of a cute little baby! Well, I suppose you would know, after all you were that baby. Anyways, let me tell you, for the first two years I wanted to kill you so badly!" She said, as though it was a prize.

"Um, why did you want to kill me?" I asked her, a little bit…disappointed from this entire ordeal. I was expecting the Kyubi to be a monster, not some cute little girl who got deadly when she was drunk or didn't have her way. Not to mention, her story of being drunk just gives me another testament on why I shouldn't drink. With stories like that, why would anyone want to drink in the first place?

"You see kit; I had one of the worst hangovers I have ever had for those two years. I just wanted to kill something, and you were the closest in a manner of speaking." She told me, a positive grin on her face.

"I expected you to be a little more…menacing." I told her.

"Why?" She asked me, some puzzlement on her face.

"Well, the stories of you destroying other villages, the way everyone in Konoha talks about hoe evil you were, so on and so forth." I told her.

"Geez, you get drunk once or twice, destroy one or two villages, and suddenly the world thinks you are an evil rampaging demon." Kyubi said more to herself than anyone else.

"Will you at least tell me your name?" I ask her in an impatient tone.

"Sure. My real name is Prelait." She said with a smile on her face. Then she turned her smile into a grin, and said "But you can still call me sexy of you like."

"Well Prelait, would you like to explain to me how I got here?" I asked her, ignoring her other comment.

"I have no idea kit! As far as I can tell, you should only be here when you are in a life threatening situation. Well, since you freed me, I get to talk to you anytime I want. Aren't you lucky?" She asked me, and seemed to mean it.

"About as lucky as a mouse that has been cornered by a cat." I mutter under my breath.

"I heard that." She told me with a sweet smile on her face. "These fox ears aren't just for good looks you know." She told me, pointing to them.

"Anyways!" I said in a louder than needed voice. "Why am I here?"

"Well, like I said earlier, you should only be here when you are near death." She told me. "Did you do anything that might get you killed?"

Besides piss off a couple guys with weapons? "I don't know. Last thing I remember, I just ate the stew, and then went to go to bed."

"Oh! I see what happened." She told me with a grin.

"Then what happened to me?" I asked her.

"You see kit, judging by your story; I think that there was poison in that soup." She told me, rubbing her chin.

"NANI? Why would they poison me?" I ask her.

"I don't know. You don't really have enemies out this far, you hid your forehead protector, and you didn't have as much money as other people on you." She told me.

"Is there anything else that is a possibility?" I ask her.

"Kit, there are thousands of probability's, but poison is the highest chance right about now. Well, the poison is still killing you right now." She told me, as though it should be good news.

"You don't really like to be depressed or serious do you?" I ask her.

"Not really." She told me, sporting another grin.

"Well, if poison is going through me, how am I supposed to live?" I ask her, wondering if I am still going to die.

"Well kit, I can heal you. However, I want something in return." She told me, a small smile on her face. And…a blush? No, I'm just imagining things.

"What do you want? I'm not going to give you my body, my soul, I'm not going on a killing spree, I'm not drinking, I'm not doing any kind of drug, and I am not going to do anything really stupid." I told her right away.

"No kit, I don't want you to do anything like that!" She told me, laughing while she said it.

"Then what do you want?" I asked her, wondering the same thing. What does she want? I hope it isn't something too ridiculous.

Her face definitely had a blush this time. "Well, I want a kiss." She told me.

My jaw dropped. I put it back with the rest of my mouth, and then I asked "A kiss? Why would you want that?"

She blushed a little deeper, and then said "Well, you see, I have never actually kissed a guy before. I wonder what it is like."

I looked her up and down. Then I looked at her face, and said "You had problems getting a guy to kiss you?" I asked her, my eyebrow quirked.

"Well, I didn't really, I just never asked for one." She told me, rubbing the back of her head with one of her tails.

"Let me guess, you are also going to tell me you are a virgin?" I ask her.

I saw her go a little redder, and then she said "Yes, I am a virgin."

I couldn't believe it. "Aren't you female demons supposed to be masters of seduction, and always trying to seduce men and have sex with them?" I ask her, wondering if I misheard that about them.

Prelait chuckled, and then told me "Kit, that is a common myth. The only female demon seductress I know of is Neral, or Nibi as you humans would call her, and she is stuck in a female if I recall correctly. That has got to piss her off." Prelait said to me.

Great, what else about demons was a lie to me? Well, I could die to poison, or I could just kiss Prelait. Hmm….choices, choices. "Fine, I will kiss you, just save my stupid life." I mutter for her to hear.

"Ok, kit!' She said, and moved closer.

Right, I have never kissed a girl before. So, was there something special to do? Well, I might as well try and hope for the best. I leaned my head toward her, and connected our lips. I didn't really feel anything different. Just someone else's head touching mine at the lips. Nothing great, so why did people do it all the time? Maybe it is beyond me or something.

"That's it?" Prelait said, sounding disappointed. "From what Neral kept telling me, it was supposed to be an amazing thing. Oh well, a promise is a promise I suppose."

Red chakra flew around Prelait, and then launched itself at me, and seemed to flow around me. It looked like a river with the sunset reflecting off of it, I found it beautiful. Until it all converged on me, and engulfed me. Then I got scared, feeling it engulfing me. It began to fill me, eating away at everything inside of me, cutting me, healing me, and forever tearing me apart. Suddenly, it stopped.

I jerked my head up, and looked around. I was back in the room I rented. I heard someone coming down the hallway, and stop in front of my door. I put my head back down, wondering what they would do with me, or my corpse as it was supposed to be I suppose. The door creaked open, only slightly though. As though the door was trying to protect me, it seemed to protest the person barging in. However, doors couldn't keep my unknown assailant out, and the door groaned open as though it was apologizing to me.

"Are you sure this is ok?" I heard a feminine voice ask someone, I was assuming her companion.

"I hate doing it as well, but we have to. We need the money." The guy told her.

"I know, but killing people?" She asked.

"Would you rather go back to Gerth?" He asked her in a harsh tone.

"N-No! Of course not, but I still think killing others for money is wrong." She said.

"I know, but in this world, it is either them or us. I would rather it be them." He told her, conviction in his voice.

Buddy, I have to agree with you. I would rather you two die than me. However, I wanted to hear more.

"But Jell, are you sure about this?" She asked again.

"Katalyn, I'm sure." He told her. Suddenly, he moved to her quickly, and I heard her gasp. Was he trying to kill her? I slowly peek my eyes around, hoping they didn't notice. However, they seemed too busy with what they were doing: kissing. I'm not sure what they did differently than me, but their kiss seems to be a little more…fun than mine.

"Jell…" She said his name slowly.

"Katalyn, I'm taking this chance to build a better future for us, for you! Will you take it with me?" He asked her, getting on one knee.

The guy Jell, he was about six feet tall, and shaves often. He has one or two cuts from it, but other than that, nothing much. He has crystal blue eyes, and brown hair. Doesn't have a muscular build, in fact, he would be considered scrawny. He had a brown tunic on, as well as black pants.

The girl, Katalyn, had on a white dress going to the bottom of her feet. She had raven black hair going to her shoulders, and full red lips. She didn't need makeup to look good. She had brown eyes, full of innocence and wonder.

'Aw kit, I do believe he just asked her to marry him! Isn't it romantic?' Prelait thought to me in a romantic sigh. 'I wish I had a man to sweep me off my feet.'

'Then you aren't going to like me when I ruin the moment are you?' I thought to her in a question.

I heard her laugh, and then she thought to me 'Kit, I won't mind at all. A twist of the plot, who doesn't like that? Especially when the bad guy who everyone thought was dead returns, and crushes the moment!'

'Do you want to make me seem like the bad guy?' I ask her in my thoughts. 'They are the ones who poisoned me after all, and I don't even know these people!'

'Well, just make it seem interesting all right? I want you to seem like a badass when you surprise them.' She thought to me.

'Prelait, life isn't like in the books! Why do you want me to do that?' I thought to her.

'Kit, let me have my fun ok? I just want you to seem like a badass when you do this, is that so wrong?' She asked me.

'And if I don't do as you wish?' I thought to her.

'Ohhh…I could find something…unpleasant for you.' She said, and then I swore I heard a maniacal laugh.

'Fine, I'll do it your way.' I thought to her. I know I heard her giggle victoriously.

"Jell, does this mean what I think it means?" Katalyn asked him.

"What do you think it means?" He asked her.

I stood up swiftly and quietly. I didn't alert either of them, they were too caught up in their moment. They were going to hate me, be shocked, and probably be scared. Sometimes I enjoyed life for the wrong reasons. Is that a bad thing?

"It means I want one of you to get me a glass of water." I told them while leaning against the wall.

Both of the whipped around, bug-eyed. They looked at me, their mouth was moving, but no sound was coming out. "What? Do I remind you of someone you know or something?"

'Thank Kami-sama kit, I thought you were going to use the overused 'you two look like you have seen a ghost' line or something.' Prelait thought to me.

'Give me some credit here!' I thought to her.

"W-What? H-How?" The woman, Katalyn gasped.

"Are you going to get me a glass of water or not?" I asked them again. "Do you people need help doing that?" I asked them as well.

"You are supposed to be dead!" Jell screamed at me. His eyes were unfocused, his mouth worked randomly, he couldn't think of what else to say. Suddenly, he grabbed a nearby chair, raised it above his head, and rushed at me. Big mistake.

I whip out two kunai, and throw them at him with as much force as I can muster. They hit is two arms at the wrist, and sheared them completely off. I rush over, and close the door to prevent the girl from escaping. Then, I turn around slowly. When I was completely turned around, the girl had soiled herself, cringing in fear sitting on the ground, while the guy wouldn't stop yelling about the pain he was in.

"If you don't shut up, I am going to cut out your tongue." I told him in a cold voice.

"W-W-What did we ever do to you!" Katalyna screamed at me.

"You tried to poison me." I told her in a dry voice.

Her face turned a little red, but not enough to make her look like she had color. She was still scared shitless of me. Couldn't blame her, it wasn't everyday you saw a twelve year old boy cut the arms of someone else off without reacting. "So, if humpty dumpty over there is done crying, are you two going to explain to me why you tried to kill me?" I ask them.

Both of them looked away, both not willing to speak. So be it. I pull out a shuriken, and throw it hard into Jell's right leg. He crumpled to the ground, gasping out loud. I brought out another shuriken, and throw it into Katalyna's arm. "If you two don't want to talk, I can do this all day." I told them in a cold voice. Please talk though; doing this is making me sick to my stomach.

I pull out another shuriken, and this time, I dip it into an herbal concoction I had in my pouch. The herbal concoction is made for disinfecting wounds. "This is a slow poison." I told them. "It starts by paralyzing the body. Then it slowly eats away at the internal organs. It attacks each one until it is just enough to keep you alive. Then, it attacks your mind, and gives you nightmares for thirteen hours. Extremely painful and considered one of the top ten worst ways to die. Now, are you two going to talk, or Jell was it? Do you get to see your little girlfriend suffer for a full day before dieing? There is no cure, and you are next. I'm doing her first, so that she doesn't see what is in store for her."

I lifted my arm, in a throwing motion. Katalyna shrieked, and Jell screamed out "Alright! Alright. I'll tell you." He said, drawing in his breath.

"Jell, don't! You know what will happen if you tell him." Katalyna said, worry on her face.

"Katalyna, it is worth it. I would rather die than see you suffer." He said, looking her in the eyes.

"Jell…" She said, tears starting to form in her eyes.

I have had enough of this. "All right, if you two are done with the touching moment, what the Hell is going on, and why did you two try to poison me?" I asked them in a gruff voice.

'You had to ruin the moment didn't you?' Prelait said in a pouting voice.

'I'm not a romantic kind of guy.' I thought to her.

'It's a wonder no woman in her right mind would fall for you.' She thought, her voice said, oozing with sarcasm.

'I will gladly keep it that way as well.' I thought to her.

"So, any one of you two going to spill the beans, or do I have to use this?" I ask, indicating the shuriken. "Oh, and I would hurry up. If that guy doesn't get medical attention soon, he will die of blood loss." I informed them.

Jell gave a sour look, and then said "We were sent by a man named Gerth. He told us that if we killed you, we wouldn't have to listen to him any more."

I don't know of anyone named Gerth. A nickname or something? False alias? However, my only enemies I know of are the drunks in Konoha. They wouldn't go this far to kill me, at least, I don't think they would. "I don't know of anyone named Gerth. Is it a nickname?" I ask them.

"No, that has been his name since we have known him." Katalyn said, her eyes filled with worry looking at Jell's arms.

"Why does he want me dead?" I ask them.

"We don't know. All we know is that we will get paid a lot of money for doing this." Jell told me.

Of course, this world is all about money isn't it? Money rules the heart; greed consumes the soul, and only the lust for coin remains. Sad how it does it to people. "Are you sure it was me you were supposed to kill?" I asked them.

"The kid with an orange suit, red spiral on his back, whiskers for a birthmark, blue cerulean eyes, and yellow spiky hair. We are positive." Jell told me, cringing at the pain his arms must be giving him.

"How did you people know I would be out here?" I asked them.

"He told us he has a reliable source tell him." Jell told me. That was all the information he was probably told, after all, you don't let a pawn know anything important.

"Very well then, leave." I told them, opening the door for them. Before they walked out though, I stopped them with one of my hands "Oh yeah, and if you tell this Gerth guy I know about him, or anyone else I know what is going on, I will hunt you down, and kill you." I told them in the coldest voice I could say.

Both of them went wide eyed, and then quickly ran out of the hall. I close the door, and survey the room. Blood was all over the floor, thanks to the guys stumps. The chair he lifted above his head was broken, and in pieces when it landed on the floor. It barely missed his head as it fell. Well, at least there wasn't any blood on my bed. However, there is a puddle of urine mixed with blood near it. I don't think I want to stick around. I just hope being knocked out counts as sleeping.

I go to the window, and jump out. The window was only a square hole in the wall, nothing to keep me in or out. Bugs must love this place. "So, are you the reason there is the smell of blood in the air?" I heard a familiar voice say behind me.

I whip around, kunai in hand. Leaning against the wall was the warrior from earlier, Karell. "And if I am?" I asked him, holding my kunai in a defensive position.

"I saw a couple run out of the building. They were running as though death himself was on their heels. Care to explain?" He asked me, fingering the hilt of his katana.

"They tried to kill me, I took care of them." I told him, watching his feet and katana. Thos were the most dangerous parts about him.

"I see, and why did they want to kill you?" He asked me.

"A man named Gerth ordered my death." I told him. Not that he would care that much.

Karell started to chuckled, and then giggle, until he started just plain laughing. This pissed me off. "All right, just what is so funny?" I asked him.

"Not only have you managed to start a bar fight with a gang, you manage to be the target for one of the deadliest crime lords ever! Kid, I mean Naruto, you are an interesting one. I'm going with you." He told me, getting his breath back.

"Only a fool goes with a marked man." I told him.

"Correction," He told me. "Only a fool goes with a marked man, or someone looking for an adventure."

"You want an adventure?" I asked him. "Go create your own."

He grinned at me, and then said "Kid, so far, you have put more fun in the town than I could ever hope too. And you just showed up meaning no harm. Traveling with you should be fun."

"You really are a fool." I told him.

"A fool and a bounty hunter. I can take care of myself." He told me, gripping his katana even tighter. He seemed to be getting excited, as though an epic battle awaited him.

"Well, I suppose I shouldn't bother trying to stop you. However, I want you to know a couple things. One, don't call me kid. If you want to use me as bait for an adventure, you can't keep calling me kid. Second thing, I'm not going to protect you, or save you if you get hurt. You need to take care of yourself." I told him.

"So, it will be like it usually is for me, except this time I get to have more fun than usual? Works for me." He said, sporting a grin.

"Well, since you seem to know about this Gerth character, and you want to travel with me, do you know his location?" I asked him.

"Gerth is a man of mystery. Unless he himself comes looking for you, you will never find him. You have to take care of enough of his assassins to actually fight him." Karell told me.

"So, I have to kill enough of his people? Do I just have to defeat them, or do I actually have to kill them?" I asked him.

"Defeating them is the same as killing them. The guy doesn't like to keep failures among his ranks." Karell told me.

"You seem to know a lot about this guy. Any personal experiences with him?" I asked him, I didn't completely trust this guy.

"A bounty hunter has to know a lot about the tough bounties." He told me.

"Just how much is this Gerth worth anyway?" I asked him.

"He is worth ten million yen." Karell told me.

I felt my eyes widen. "T-Ten million! What has he done to be worth that much?" I asked Karell, still a little surprised.

Karell's face darkened, and he said "Don't ask. He has killed more noble families than I have collected bounties. He has destroyed small countries that looked like they would prosper. He has done so many things, most of which aren't even worth mentioning!"

Geez, this guy needed to be brought down. "Why hasn't anyone brought him in? I'm sure that being worth ten million, he has to keep a low profile, but someone must have at least a picture of him!" I exclaimed that last part.

"That's part of the problem, everyone who has seen his face has been killed. He has killed his own family, burned their house to the ground, and killed everyone else in the village he used to live. No one even knows his last name! So, hunting him down isn't easy, and it is expected the price of his head will go up soon." Karell told me.

When you are a guy who killed your entire village, just so you could commit even more crimes, you are someone that deserves to die. "So, I am marked by this guy?" I asked to no one in particular. "Well, looks like you are going to get your adventure after all." I told Karell, sporting my own grin.

"Glad to hear it." Karell told me, his eyes filling with lust, not the typical lust, battle lust. "I can't wait to see what strong opponents challenge you. I want you to give me one or two." He told me.

"You can have some of them. I don't really care about them. I only care about why this guy wants my life, nothing else." I told Karell.

"Well, if that is the case, I get first dibs on the really tough looking opponents!" He exclaimed.

"Only if I'm not interested in them." I told him, same grin on my face.

"Fine by me!" He cried with a smile on his face.

Damn it, I'm happy about discussing who gets the tougher looking opponents with a bounty hunter. Well, my life got flipped around in a short order of time.

'Are you forgetting about someone?' Prelait thought to me.

'No, you pretty much changed my view on female demons. I still don't look kindly upon you because you drink by the way. You only look fifteen!' I yelled the last part to her.

'Kit, I can look any age I want to. If I wanted to be eight, or eighty, it doesn't matter. However, I am vain. So, I want to look young, thank you very much!' She told me in a serious voice, and then broke out giggling.

"Oh yeah, Karell." I told him.

"Yeah, what is it?" He asked me.

"I should mention I am the container for a demon." I told him. Let's see how he reacts.

"For some reason, I am not that surprised." He told me.

"You aren't going to run away?" I asked him.

"Are you kidding me?" He told me in a voice that told me he thought I asked a really stupid question. "And miss seeing how a demon container deals with stuff? Not to mention, I might eventually have to fight you, and what fight could be more of a challenge than fighting a demon container!" He asked in an excited voice.

I just stared at him. "You really have a death wish don't you?" I asked him.

"No death wish, however, I don't want to die of old age. I want to die to someone who can actually kill me, not age. Fighting more powerful opponents is what I live for." He said, pulling out his katana, and staring down the length of it.

"Yeah, you are pretty crazy." I told him.

"Damn straight I am. Now, let's go. No point in hanging around this town, right?" He asked me, a goofy grin on his face.

"Nope, let's go." I told him, heading to the town gates. This was turning out to be a bigger adventure than I thought it would be.

General Badaxe- Ok, second chapter done. Damn it, you should be able o have more categories. Oh well, tell me what you people think I can improve in. Any comment, I would prefer suggestions, or anything else that can help me. Until next time, see you all later.


	3. Chapter 3

General Badaxe- ok, i have updated Blood Raider Naruto if you are reading this. Duh. Anyways, I am getting positive reviews, no matter how few, and so I know I will continue it, if only for you few people who read this. Anyways, the only person I have to respond to really is Dobe-Teme. So, let's begin. Well, first off, thanks for the message idea, I didn't exactly know how to get him to apologize to her without making some weird chapter. Thanks for the letter idea. Second thing, he will absorb more blood. Hence, you probably figured out his ability, and if you haven't, well, you will find out eventually. No, he won't recover the Sharingan, that's not how the ability works, or it would seem overpowered to me. You will find out how the ability works over the time this story is made. And, I have no idea if the name 'Prelait' is French. I wanted to name her Prelate, but I realize that that is a position in a religion, so I improvised by switching it up a bit. I made the name up, and if it is French, wow, I really need to look at their names. However, yes, Prier was indeed intended to be French if you thought I made that one up as well. (To you people who don't understand, read 'Caged Fox', and you will get it.) As for him being a bounty hunter, no he isn't. However, Karell will drag him into bounties from time to time, where Naruto might 'accidentally acquire' coughstealcough scrolls from people he has either killed or captured. As for teaching him, Karell would only be able to teach him how to use a sword, or increase his speed. As for why, you will find out later on. And, no, I'm not teaching Naruto the sword. Or the katana or any other edged weapon. Or any weapon for that matter, besides shuriken and kunai. First off, there would be less of a point for him going demon, and second off, it is hard for me to imagine him with a weapon. Call me stubborn, but he isn't getting one. Also, before you ask why Karell can only help with speed, he can't help Naruto with stamina considering Naruto already has more stamina than him, and as for why he can't increase strength, you will find out later. (Well, here are the long A.N's again. I knew I wouldn't be able to stay away from them long.)

"Naruto, where is the adventure?" Karell asked me.

This is the seventh time he has asked me in the past hour. Needless to say, it is getting on my nerves. "Look, I don't go looking for adventure or trouble. Especially when we are still in the desert. If you want an adventure, go look for someone else who is looking for it, and LEAVE ME ALONE!" I screamed the last part. This guy was seriously hitting my nerves hard today.

"Naruto, you draw adventure to you like a magnet." Karell informed me, and I wish he would just stop telling me this. He has told me that I draw adventure like a magnet several times, but then he complains that there is no adventure to be had right now. "I wouldn't be surprised if we ran into some trouble out here in the desert, in the middle of nowhere."

"Karell, we are exactly where you said, in the middle of nowhere, following a road, hoping to reach civilization." I told him, trying not to scream at him. "We are like this because you tried to make a fire, and used the map as a fire starter, remember?"

"Look, you said you had some paper in your pack, and that I could light the fire with it. You could have told me that you had a map in your back pack as well." He said in his defense. What I hated was that he had a point, and it was partially my fault as well.

I lapsed into silence, and couldn't think of something to say. The silence got stretched thin, like some sort of rubber band reaching its limit, and of course, like the rubber band, someone had to break. "Naruto…" Karell said to me slowly.

"Karell." I told him in a threatening voice. "If you ask me where the adventure is one more time, I am going to take your katana, and shove it so far up your ass that it comes out your throat, do I make myself clear?" I ask him, glaring at him.

"Crystal." He said. "Anyways Naruto, I have an idea on how to cure our boredom."

"You mean your boredom, and my annoyance I hope." I told him in a little testy voice. It wasn't a good morning for me. I seemed to be more pissed than I have been in a couple weeks.

"All right Naruto, I will put five bananas in my mouth, and you tickle me!" He told me, as though he had made some grand discovery.

I couldn't help it, I just stared at him. That had to be one of the dumbest ideas I have ever heard. "Are you serious?" I ask him in a disbelieving voice. "First off, we don't have any bananas because of the whole 'banana and scorpion' incident, second off, what purpose would it serve?" I asked him.

"It would end our boredom. That and I need something to do. If you don't get some adventure soon, I just might have to leave and look for it." He told me, as though I should take it as a threat.

"Tell you what, you see that dune? No, not that one, the one to the left of it. We will walk over it, and if adventure isn't on the other side, then we will part paths so that you can go find your own 'adventure', deal?" I asked him.

"Normally, I would say no. However, I want something interesting to happen, so yes, I agree." Karell told me. Thank God! I will never have to see this guy again, he was pretty cool in the beginning, but it kind of lost after he tried to beat scorpions with our bananas in an attempt to get them to leave us alone. It only partially worked, and I don't want to go into details about it.

We went walking off of the road, and onto the dune. For the record, I should have picked the smaller dune to the right. Anyways, we were traveling on the dune, and almost at the top. It didn't take us long, and so far, nothing interesting happened. Aside from the occasional remark from Karell. I ignored those though. However I knew it was too good to be true when we heard a girl shriek.

I put my head in my hands, and wanted to cry, except that would waste precious water in the desert. Not something smart to do. I looked over, and Karell had a triumphant grin on his face. "If you say one word, I'm going to smack you." I told him.

"I won't say anything." He told me with the same grin on his face.

"You better not." I grumble out. We dashed in the direction of the shriek, which was conveniently on the other side of the dune. Five men were cornering, well, surrounding by all technical terms, a small girl. Well, she was about fourteen years old by her looks, but compared to the men, she was small. Then again, I can't say much about myself either. I was still really short.

The men had disguises on, so it was impossible to get a good look at them. I just wish they would at least wear something different than the others. They all had on veils over their face, the kind that lets them see, but you can't see their face. I couldn't see hair, it was tucked under a weird hat that stretched a shadow over them, it looked like a way to avoid the sun. Two had axes, another two had swords, not Katanas, actual swords, and another one had sort of item over his knuckles. Looked iron. They weren't wearing shirts for some odd reason; after all, nothing will hold their sweat to cool them off without one. They did have pants on, Thank God, and they were brown, lined with silver stripes to reflect the sun. They were muscle heads though; they looked stronger than me, and probably were. However, I didn't exactly plan to challenge them to arm wrestling, so it doesn't matter.

The girl was a little…interesting I suppose the word would be. She had on a black skin tight outfit, but somehow, it managed to conceal everything also. As though it shouldn't be revealing. She had on a red cloak, and by red, I mean blood red. It flowed around her, but I couldn't feel any wind. She had eyes of ice, they had warmth, but they were a really cold blue that made it hard to see the warmth. Eyes that also had a haunted past, a little like mine. She had blue hair, yes; I said blue hair, which traveled down to the middle of her back. It was full of knots. It didn't look dyed either. She had creamy white skin, which was hard to believe considering we were in a desert. However, I wasn't here to judge her.

"So, do we rescue her?" Karell asked me in a queer voice. It almost sounded serious.

"Karell, no, we let those men take her and do whatever they want to her." I said while rolling my eyes. "Of course we save her dumb ass!" I said to him in a harsh voice.

"Ok, ok. I was just checking." He told me, in a somewhat hurt voice. However, he was trying to stifle a laugh, so I didn't take it seriously. "But tell me, how do we rescue her?" He asked after a second of thought.

"We go down there, and beat them down." I told him, starting to walk towards him.

"What kind of plan is that!" He asked me, in a voice that told me he thought I was crazy.

"The kind of plan I use. Plans never survive contact with the enemy, sad but true, so I never really developed my planning skills." I told him, easily in plain site of the five men.

"I hate you sometimes." Karell grumbled, walking with me.

Now you know how I feel. "Yeah, but I do tend to piss people off, or break spirits in one case, so you better get used to it if you are sticking with me." I told him. I still had to apologize to Hinata, and just how was I going to do that? Oh well, I'll deal with that problem after I deal with these men.

I heard a sharp whistle right nest to me, Karell had just whistled to the people we were attacking. All of them stopped, including the girl, and they watched us slowly walk toward them. "Well, well, well, what do we have here?" Karell said in a louder than normal voice.

"Why, I do believe that these men are attacking that woman over there." I said to Karell in a loud cocky voice.

"Should we go on and pretend that something like this never happened?" He asked me, grinning the entire time.

A smile overcame my face, not a smile of mocking and warmness, but one of future enjoyment, how I was going to enjoy the next few seconds. The same smile that one would wear when they are about to enjoy a slaughter. "Why would we do that?" I asked, in a cold emotionless voice, pulling out a kunai, and slicing it across my arm. The blood dripped off the kunai, and the cut healed in seconds. I brought the kunai up to my mouth, and licked it. A sharp metallic taste entered my mouth, and it surprisingly, tasted pretty good actually. Not good enough to become a cutter or kill other people for it though.

'Being a bit over dramatic, but other than that, you have the appearance of a badass. Good going kit.' Prelait thought to me.

'Thank you. Now then, don't talk to me until I have dealt with them.' I thought to Prelait.

'Will do kit.' She thought to me, and then gave a giggle.

"And just who the hell are you?" One of the five bandits, raiders, whatever they were asked me.

"Your worst nightmare." Karell said, easing his katana's hilt out of the scabbard a couple of inches, revealing the blade.

'Oh God, we have another overdramatic person.' Prelait thought, with a really long giggle.

'What did I tell you about talking?' I asked her.

'Fine kit, but please have a long talk with me afterwards. I'm bored.' She thought to me, and seemed to pout. At least, by the sound of things she pouted.

'Fine. However, I will have the long talk when I go to sleep; I don't really need to stand around like a zombie.' I thought to her.

'See you then kit!' Prelait thought to me.

Yeah see you then. "So tell me, what do you plan to do with that woman over there?" I asked them.

"You don't need to know." The one of the men said, holding his sword in a threatening manner.

"I'm pretty sure it won't be a good thing." Karell said, pulling the rest of his katana out of the scabbard. "Let's do this." Karell said, easing into a defensive stance.

I pull out a couple shuriken in my left hand, and hold the kunai in my right. I crouch a little to the ground, and prepare to spring at them. Adrenaline was pumping through me, I felt my blood tingle, and I heard Prelait's silent blood calling giggle, as though she was going to enjoy this. She probably was.

"Do not interfere." The girl behind the men said.

What? Did she just say what I think she said? Suddenly, I felt a powerful energy erupt from the girl. No where near Prelait's level, but still pretty powerful. Suddenly, blue energy ripped out of the ground, and ripped through one of the men. What was this blue energy? Chakra was yellow, not blue, and only my chakra can go red. Well, that I know of at least. So, what was this?

The blue energy sailed through the sky, like a river made of energy, twisting and weaving; it was as beautiful as it was deadly. Suddenly, it plummeted into another of the men. They were thoroughly panicked, and the last three took off. However, what do they plan to do? Running into the desert without any supplies is asking for a slow painful death.

"No escape." The girl said, and then the energy flew at them. It crashed into one of the men, who started to grow larger. His head expanded, his arms, legs, thighs, stomach, chest, everything just expanded. He was screaming as loud as he could in pain, and then violently exploded in a shower of blood.

I would be a sad excuse for a man if I let her have all the fun. I pulled out an exploding tag, and wrapped it around my kunai. I threw it into the sand, and made it travel under the sand. When it was under one of them, the sand detonated, and sent the guy flying high into the air. I sent a second kunai, which intercepted his head.

Only one guy was left. I saw the blue energy race towards him, and it hit him. However, the man fell apart. Literally. His arms suddenly fell off, and his body slid off of his legs. When the body hit the ground, the head rolled away from the body. I looked a little to the right, and saw Karell standing there with a bloody katana. He wiped the blood off on the guy's hood.

Suddenly, the blue energy flew at Karell. "Karell, move!" I yelled at him.

He looked at me, and then whipped his head around to see the blue energy. "Shit!" He cried out, suddenly disappearing. He appeared right next to me. It took him less than a second to do this.

"Are you fast enough?" I asked him.

"To outrun that blue sparkly light? Yes, I'm fast enough." He said, eyeing it. It was just floating above where he used to be standing.

"So, how did you get to be that fast?" I asked him, still eyeing the blue energy.

"Lots of training." He said, putting his katana away. It would probably be useless against that energy.

Then the blue energy turned into a skull, and then launched lots of mini skulls out of its mouth. All of the mini skulls were blue, so I didn't want to see what happened.

"Fools." The blue haired girl said in a monotonous voice.

I looked at her, and realized that the blue energy hadn't even pointed at her, even though she hadn't moved yet. Was she controlling it? Probably. After all, she did tell us not to interfere. "Hey, blue-hair, call off your pet!" I yelled at her, rolling out of the way of a bunch of skulls.

Karell just disappeared and reappeared paces away from where he was originally standing. This guy was fast, however, he wasn't the strongest, and he was starting to breathe heavy. We had to end it soon, and by the looks of things, I was probably going to have to kill the girl I was supposed to rescue. What irony this was.

I pulled out a kunai, and threw it at the girl. Blue energy erupted from the ground, and smashed the kunai away, and then it flew at me. I ran at the blue light, pulling out a kunai. When it was about to hit me, I quickly jumped to the right, and ran around it. Adrenaline was taking over, I was having a hard time focusing, my moves were getting too fast for me to track, fear was pounding through me, and I couldn't feel anything. No pain, no anger, no nothing.

Before I realized it, I was on top of the blue haired girl, who had a very scared look on her face. It surprised me, I didn't think she could feel any emotion, she reminded me of Sasuke in that effect. Well, no, Sasuke mostly looked like a depressed wombat, so I couldn't say any emotions.

I took a slash at her head, and she jumped back in time. However, she wasn't fast enough, and the kunai cut her across her forehead, just enough to draw blood. The girl grabbed her forehead, and screamed in agony. It was like it was the first time that she had felt pain before. Then I…felt the blue energy behind me. I can't describe it, it was a strange feeling. I rolled out of the way, and accidentally lost the grip on my kunai, and it went flying high into the air.

I stood up, and looked at the girl. She was clutching her forehead, and looked at me like I was a monster. Suddenly, a sharp pain entered my shoulder. It was a strong burning sensation, and I realized why it hurt. The kunai I threw into the air, landed blade first into my shoulder. I grabbed the kunai, and ripped it out; in too forceful of a manner, it ripped my skin even more, and sent fire racing throughout my body. Man, I'm not being very smart today.

Suddenly, her face became cold and emotionless again, and then I saw blue energy gather around her. Suddenly, it pinpointed into a spear, and flew at me. I tried running, but I tripped over a bone. I landed face first into the sand, and looked up at the energy. Well, this sucks.

I closed my eyes and waited. And waited. And waited. What was taking the energy so long! If you are going to kill me, at least do it quickly! I opened my eyes, and saw the blue energy. That wasn't the problem. The problem was the red energy wrapped around the blue energy stopping it from hitting me. 'Prealit, did you do this?' I asked her.

'I didn't kit. Whatever it is though, it's pretty damn cool! I wish I had one.' Prelait thought to me, in a dreamy voice.

'You remind me of some sort of fan or something.' I thought to her.

'Nothing wrong with wishing!' Prelait thought to me in a giggle.

"How?" Was all the blue haired girl said.

The red energy then wrapped itself around the blue energy even tighter. The blue energy split in two, and then flew at me, and the other piece flew at the red energy. The red energy split into two as well, and intercepted both. The energies were evenly matched, but who was controlling the red energy? I'll ask questions later, right now, I had to end this. Where was Karell though? I can't see him. Oh well, I'll worry about it later.

I rushed. I moved past the energies, a little afraid the red and blue energy would decide to team up on me. As I ran by them, I ran with my head looking at them, still afraid. Both of the energies continued to struggle against the other one, so I didn't worry much. I still worried though. I ran at the blue haired girl, who just stared at me, as though she were in some sort of trance. When I got really close to her, she broke out of the trance, and screamed. I pulled out a kunai, and pushed it against her throat. "Call off your energy, or you die!" I told her venomously.

Her eyes were wide, and then they rolled up into the back of her head. She went limp, and fell over into the sand. She was unconscious. I looked at the energies, and saw the blue energy dissipate. The red energy remained however. It just…floated there. It seemed to look at me, and then it fell to the sand, and got absorbed by the sand. It had disappeared, but not as the blue energy had done.

Suddenly, Karell appeared right next to me, and took a better look at the girl. "I think she was controlling the energy." He told me, in a matter-of-fact voice.

"THANK YOU SHERLOCK!" I screamed at him. I couldn't take how many timed this guy stated the obvious, not after I was close to losing my life, and only some red energy stopped it. However, who was controlling the red energy? I need to find these things out, I don't need more people trying to kill me.

"So, do we leave her, or do we take her with us?" Karell asked me, eyeing our surroundings carefully. He was probably looking for the red energy as well.

"I'm bringing her with us." I told him, lifting her up, and throwing her over my back.

"You know she tried to kill us right?" He asked me, walking right next to me, while we searched for a town.

"I know, but she was also attacked by a group of men, and she doesn't have a trusting look to her." I told him, being a little concerned for her. She was awfully light, she was probably underfed. I'll have to buy her some dinner.

"If you say so. Oh yeah, and I found a map." He told me, and then I noticed the map in his hand, and the bag he had at his side. I need to work on my observation skills.

"Where did you get a map, and what is that bag at your side?" I asked him.

"Well, I got that map from one of the five raider corpses, and the bag has the head of their leader in it." He told me, still looking at the map.

"Why are you bringing the head of the leader with you? It's going to start smelling really badly soon." I asked him.

"I know." Karell told me. "However, that was the five raider gang. They have a price on them for ten thousand. So, I'm turning this in for some extra spending cash." He told me.

"You memorized the prices on people's heads?" I asked him.

"Have to. Or else, I would have to carry fliers of them around with me." He told me. Suddenly, he pointed in the direction we were traveling. "There is a town up there, about three miles away."

"Do the gang have anything on them?" I asked Karell.

"Nothing of any real value. They have a couple scrolls, but the scrolls are mostly about history, people who made a lot of money, and good looking women." Karell said, looking through their stuff. "Looks like they only had scrolls on people they were going to attack. Strange, the blue haired girl isn't on any of these, not even a name is mentioned."

Why do you think they targeted her then?" I asked him.

"Probably saw her, and decided she would make a pretty penny on the black market. This raid cost them a lot more than they thought it would though." Karell said, looking at their corpses.

"It confuses me." I said, thinking about the recent scenario. "If she had the blue energy, why did she scream at first?" I asked him.

"I don't know." Karell told me, packing up their stuff. "I do know we should get going to the town though."

"Well, what are we waiting for then?" I asked.

"You." He said, suddenly taking off.

"Hey retard! We are in the desert!" I yelled at him. I didn't see him slow down. "This guy is going to get me killed." I muttered to myself, and then I took off after him. Carrying the girl on my back of course.

We arrived at the town in about two hours. Sweating really badly I might add. I was also carrying a girl on my back. Well, she would have to take a bath as well I guess. Karell started to walk off, and then yelled out. "Get a room at the Greythorn Inn. I'll meet you there, after I collect the bounty." He yelled out. Then he disappeared from view.

I really had to find out how he did that, it is an ability I would like to know. Well, I might as well find the inn. That and my back was beginning to ache. She wasn't heavy, but I have been walking with her on my back for about two hours. So, it tends to sort of become a chore after a while.

It didn't take me long to find the inn, it was the biggest building here. Standing three stories tall, and made of stone and mud. It had an actual door though, that's a plus. I walked inside, and instantly, every eye was on me. They stared at me, as though they could bore into my soul. No one attacked me yet, so I was guessing that they couldn't. I walked up to the clerk, and asked for the price of a room.

"Rooms are four thousand yen, and baths are three thousand yen apiece. However, for you, half off." She said, holding her nose to emphasize why. Stupid little bitch.

"Fine. One room, three baths." I told her.

"That will be eight thousand five hundred. Also, what is wrong with your companion?" She asked me. This lady was digging a little too deeply into someone else's life. A good way to get you killed.

"She fainted from heat exhaustion. Not very smart to wear black in the desert." I told her, indicating her outfit.

"True." The clerk said. "Your room is on the third floor, number fifty eight."

"Thanks. My other companion will pay for the room. He is a tall proud man, with scars all over him. Has a katana at his side, but doesn't act his age. Bounty hunter, and will probably reek as much as I do. Can't miss him." I told her, bringing the blue haired girl up the stairs with me. People were still staring at us, but I didn't pay them any attention. After all, I was used to worse from where I grew up; these people couldn't affect me at all.

I walked up three stories of steps, and I was starting to breathe heavy. Not from the steps, from carrying this girl, walking three miles across the desert without resting, and from walking through the town. I made it to the room, and then realized I forgot the key to the room. Cursing, I walked back down to the desk, took the key from the grinning clerk, and then walked back up to the room, where I unlocked the door and opened it. I saw the first problem.

There was only one bed. I laid the girl on it, and closed the door behind her. Then I walked to the desk clerk again. "Excuse me miss, there is only one bed in there." I told her.

"Is there really!" She asked me, in a really sarcastic voice.

"I would like at least one more bed, thank you." I told her, trying to keep the anger from my voice.

"Extra beds are five thousand yen." The clerk told me.

"What! Why don't I just buy another room!" I asked her.

"Extra rooms are ten thousand yen." The clerk told me.

It suddenly occurs to me why the inn is doing so well. Tourists probably have no choice but to stay here. "What kind of scam is this!" I yelled at her.

"One that keeps us in business. If you have a problem with it, we could always throw you out." The clerk told me.

I just left, and went back to the room. I was cursing under my breath the entire time. I already hated this town, and only because of the inn! What other tourist's scams are there! I will worry about it later. I unlocked the door, and opened it. And, I stood there, in the doorway, jaw on the floor, eyes popping out of their sockets. The girl was lying on the bed. However, the fact that she didn't have any clothes on really made this a…interesting moment in my life.

I felt heat and blood rush to my face, and I stuttered out "W-What are y-you doing!"

"You defeated me." She said in a monotonous voice. "I believe that this is what you want." Her tone on the last part was full of bitterness.

"Why would I want this!" I bellowed out, feeling more heat rush to my face. I should look away, but I found myself unable to. Damn it, I really hope this didn't happen often.

"You are male, at least I assume you are. Like every other male, this is what you want." She said, her voice trying to keep the bitterness in it hidden. I heard it though.

"All right, look, I don't want sex. I don't know why you think I do, but I don't. Not with a complete stranger to me at least." I told her.

"You…don't want sex?" She asked me, sounding completely puzzled.

"No I don't, now get some clothes on right away." I told her. If you don't, I'll get a nose bleed really soon.

'So kit, how was the view?' Prelait thought to me.

'Too good for me too like. Anyways, I thought we were going to talk later.' I thought to her.

'Either we talk now, or I come out of you, and see what everyone thinks.' Prelait thought to me in a threatening tone.

'Fine fine, we can talk now. However, let's let the girl get some clothes on first, ok?' I thought to Prelait.

'Fine kit. I expect to see you here in a bit!' Prelait thought to me. I swear, I have to wonder if this is the demon that destroyed Villages and Towns. After all, how often can you envision a peppy demon girl as a destroyer? Not very, that much is true. Then again, I have never seen her drunk either, so it doesn't matter.

"Hey Naruto, what are you staring at?" Karell said, walking down the hallway. "By the way, nice idea to get baths for every- HOLY SHIT!" He said, looking into the doorway, and into the room. The girl still hadn't changed; she was still on the bed, a puzzled expression on her face. Karell whipped around, and looked me in the eye, his face completely red. "NARUTO! What the hell are you making her do!" He asked, his eyes seeming to bulge from his sockets in anger.

"I'm not making her do anything! When I came up here, she was like that!" I yelled at him.

"A likely story! What's next, is an alien going to come down into the room, and offer you ten billion yen!" He asked me, his voice filled with anger and embarrassment.

"You don't believe me! Look buddy, I swear that I didn't make her do this, she thought that's what we were going to do to her! What made her be like that, I have no idea!" I yelled out, my face not losing any heat.

"Naruto! Don't lie man, just tell me the truth, and I won't make it look so bad!" Karell said to me.

"I am telling you the truth! Why don't you believe me!" I asked him, in an outraged tone.

You are a pre-teen full of hormones, that's why! Now, tell me why she is like that, or there will be Hell to pay!" He yelled, pulling his katana out of his sheathe, and pointing it at me.

"I'm telling the truth!" I yelled at him. I stumbled backwards, trying to get a foot hold, and slipped onto my back. Suddenly, I heard…giggling? Yeah, it was giggling, and definitely feminine. I looked at the bed, and saw the girl laughing.

"And just what is so funny!" I asked her in an outraged voice. I have a death threat right in front of me, this is no laughing matter!

'Speak for yourself kit!' Prelait, and suddenly, her giddy laughter flooded through me. Women are going to kill me, I knew it, I knew it, I knew it!

I heard the blue haired girl's giggles die down, and then in between small laughs, she said to Karell "H-He is telling the (Laugh) truth!" Then she broke out laughing.

Karell looked stupidly to the girl, then to me, and then to his sword. "Well, I better put this away then." He said, putting his sword back into the sheathe. "Now then, why would we want to rape you?" He asked the girl.

Suddenly, she stopped laughing, and got a dark look on her face. "I don't want to say." She said, in what has got to be the bitterest tone I have ever heard. I went to the window, and spit outside, I could taste the bitterness of her voice.

I turned around, and the girl hugged me. Now then, this was an embarrassing situation. She still didn't have any clothes on. My face became a furnace, and I swear the desert seemed cold. "Thank you, for not doing anything." She told me, in a sweet little voice.

"No problem!" I said in a rushed voice, breaking the hug. Then I bolted out the door. "Karell, I'm going to get something to eat for everyone! Make sure she gets some clothes on, don't do anything funny, and take a bath! There is one for everyone, goodbye now!" I said in a rushed voice, and then bolted down the steps.

When I was down to the bottom floor, I was breathing heavily, and not because I was tired out. I am never going into a room without knocking again. I know that to be a fact. However, now I have to get food. I walked outside of the inn, and walked over to a basic serving place that was right down the street. I picked up two cheeseburgers for everyone, and then I got all of us water. I didn't want anything else; it was too expensive for a simple meal.

After she put our stuff in a bag, I thanked her, and went back to our hotel room. I walked up the stairs, and my stomach rumbled loudly. It really has been a while since I ate, I realize. Oh well, this food should hold me over. I made it to our hotel room, and pulled out my key. Then I remembered what happened last time. I'm not having a repeat scenario. I put my key away, and then knocked on the door. It was opened by Karell, who let me in. If he tried to keep me out, he would have suffered anyway, so he made the right choice.

"So, what did you bring us?" He asked.

"Cheeseburgers and water." I told him, putting the bag onto a small table. Actually, when I think about it, that looks like the counter.

"How many you get? I fund out the girl was starved and could almost never get food." He told me.

"So, where is she right now?" I asked him, pulling out a cheeseburger, and biting into it. Never, had a cow tasted so good in my life.

"She is currently taking a bath. I let her go first before the water gets warm." Karell told me, grabbing his water, and took a drink of it. "You should have asked for ice water."

"And pay an extra five hundred yen? No thanks. Anyways, what do you mean before it gets warm?" I asked him, taking another bite into the cheeseburger.

"Naruto, in the desert, you never want to taker a warm bath. After you get out, it is like scorching yourself in molten silver. It stays with you, and it is a very uncomfortable feeling. So, being the gentlemen that I am, I let her go first." He told me, taking another drink.

"Basically, she threatened you, and if you didn't go along with it, she still has that blue energy right?" I asked him.

Karell started choking on his water, and when he swallowed it, told me "Yeah, how did you know?"

"When you told me that you were a gentleman. If anyone is a gentleman, it isn't you." I told him, while laughing and taking a bite out of my cheeseburger. "Anyway, did you figure out what her name is?" I asked him.

"She wouldn't tell me. Something about wanting you to know, and only you. Don't know what she means by that, but I'm not about to piss her off when she controls that blue energy. Anyway, Naruto, do you know where that red energy came from?" Karell asked me.

"I have no idea. However, I don't really care, after all, it did save my life, and so if it wants to stay private, then it can." I told him.

"I'm done." Said a feminine voice, from behind me. No doubt the blue haired girl.

"Thank God! I really needed a bath." Karell said, running in the direction where the voice came from. I didn't bother looking, I was enjoying my burger.

"There are two cheeseburgers in the bag and water for you." I told her, not bothering to turn around. I was getting my second cheeseburger. I took a drink of water first, and it was a warm liquid. Karell was right; I should have gotten the ice water.

I saw her petite hand reach into the bag, and pull out a cheeseburger. "This is…for me?" She asked, as though she was hesitating.

I decided to end her worries. "Look, miss…um…what is your name by the way?" I asked her.

She looked a little embarrassed about something. "Well, um sir, my name is Hokara."

"Ok, Hokara is it? Well, let me tell you a couple things. One, you are not a slave here. You can do what you want. I plan on letting you leave anyways." I told her. She seemed to get a horrified look on her face. "Second thing, don't worry, not all men are controlled by their penis. I don't know why women stereotype like that, but it isn't true. Not all the time anyways, some men are. Final thing, my name is Naruto. Don't call me 'sir.'

She seemed a little uneasy. "So, you aren't going to keep me?" She asked.

"Why would I keep you?" I asked her, slightly confused.

"You know my name." She told me, as though that would explain everything.

"What does that have to do with anything?" I asked her. She was beginning to really confuse me.

"I know your name." She said, blushing lightly. It looked rather cute, but I was just getting more and more puzzling.

"What does that have to do with anything? Karell knows my name as well. So does everyone in the village I grew up in." I told her.

"Does any girl know your name?" She asked me. And then, in an afterthought, she said "Do you know theirs?"

"Sure. I know Sakura, Ino, Hinata, Ayame, and they all know mine." I told her. "So, what is the problem?"

"You aren't bound or anything?" She asked me.

"Bound? Ok, you are starting to scare the hell out of me. What is this 'bound' thing you are talking about?" I asked her.

"You really have no idea?" She asked, looking a little bewildered.

"At this point, it makes more sense for me to dip my body in molten silver. I really have no idea what you are talking about." I told her.

She started to giggle, and then she laughed. 'Prelait, do you get the joke?' I asked her.

'Not really kit.' She thought to me. 'Maybe I should ask her, woman to woman, you know?' She thought to me, while giggling.

'You mean come out of me?' I thought to her.

'You got it kit! Anyways, do you know how long it has been since I have breathed fresh air? I really want to try it again.' She told me.

'Will it hurt me?' I asked herm, a little scared.

'No idea kit. We are about to find out.' She thought to me, giggling.

Suddenly, I felt…empty. It was like a strange force was ripped out of me, it made me feel…incomplete…devoid of feeling. It felt horrible. Emptiness…I'm truly alone now.

I couldn't handle the feeling; I fell over, onto the bed, and curled into a ball. This feeling, what is it? True loneliness? Is this what it feels like to be alone, away from everyone? To have a part of you ripped out? I can't take it, I did the only thing I could do to stay sane: I passed out.

I woke up in a damp place, and I know I was in the desert. I must be inside my mind again. However, someone was holding me, and caressing my back. "Pre…lait?" I asked out loud, in a slow voice.

"Oh kit, I didn't think me leaving would have such a strong effect. Are you ok?" She asked me. She sounded truly sorry, and guilty. Demons are really stating to appear to have true feeling to me. However, it just makes it harder and harder for me to hate her. Damn it, she made my life hell, I should hate her. Then again, she was trying to comfort me, I guess.

"I'll be ok, when I don't feel like I had my soul ripped out of me." I told her, having slight troubles breathing.

"I didn't know you were so attached to me being inside of you." She told me, attempting a weak joke.

"Neither did I." I told her, and then I remembered why she left. "Say, how did the talk with Hokara go?" I asked her.

"No talk. As soon as I manifested out of thin air, she went bug-eyed, and then fainted on me." Prelait said, laughing while she said it.

"Funny sight, I'm guessing?" I asked her.

"Kit, you haven't seen anything until you see her shocked. Trust me on this one." Prelait said and I noticed she was still rubbing my back.

"Prelait, you can quit rubbing my back now." I told her.

"What? Oh!" Prelait said, realizing what she was doing. She quit doing it, but she didn't stop holding me. I noticed she had a faint blush on her cheeks.

"How bad did I look?" I asked her. "I mean about just falling on the bed, and passing out. Did I look pathetic?"

"Kit, you look like you just had some horrible nightmare. When you passed out, the girl Hokara went over, and checked you. Then I popped out of nowhere, and she passed out. By the way, you better hope that she waked up before you do." Prelait told me.

"Wait, why would I want that?" I asked her, looking at her face intently.

"Oh kit, I don't think you want to know." Prelait said, in a mocking voice.

"Prelait." I said her voice with a clear warning in it. "What happened?"

"Kit, do you really want to know?" She asked, sparkles of mirth in her eyes.

"Prelait, what is going on outside of this place!" I asked, starting to get pissed off.

"I don't think I should tell you kit." Prelait said in a taunting voice.

"Damn it Prelait, WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!" I yelled at her that time.

Suddenly, she pulled me to her in a fast motion, and out faces were inches apart. At the same time, my heart started to beat faster. I felt heat rush to my face. What was she doing? "Kit…" She said my nickname slowly, like she was caressing it. "It's a secret." She said, and then pulled away laughing.

"You are really good at pissing me off, you know that?" I asked her.

"Well kit, it's one of my special charms." She said, laughing the entire time. Then she appeared to be looking at a watch, and then said "Well kit, would you look at the time! It's about time for you to wake up, and if I'm not mistaken, she hasn't woken up yet! I'm going to laugh so hard." She said, chuckling to herself.

Suddenly, the reality twisted, and I felt a huge shockwave travel through me, and then I was blinded by a flashing light. After the light, darkness engulfed me.

I know I was in the real world, well, the world where my real body was. I was assuming this by the way, I really have no idea. All I know is that there is a heavy weight on my body. Did I fall asleep with training weights on or something? Damn it, I really have to learn to change before I fall asleep after training. Wait a second…didn't I pass out, from some powerful feeling? I wasn't training. Prelait said that I passed out, Hokara was checking on me, and then she passed out…Oh shit. I shouldn't open my eyes. I shouldn't open my eyes. Pretend to sleep. Pretend to sleep. Oh hell, curiosity got the better of me…again.

I opened my eyes, and Hokara was on top of me, and we were lying on a bed. As long as I can move her, it shouldn't matter too much. "What the Hell!" I heard Karell yell form the doorway. Then again, nothing in my life can ever be easy, can it?

Suddenly, Hokara got yanked off of me, and then I was faced with an angry looking Karell…for the second time today. Man, I'm working on a new record. "Naruto, what the hell is going on this time!" He yelled at me.

"Karell, I passed out from an overwhelming emotion. I don't know why she passed out; all I know is that when I woke up, she was on top of me like that. If you think of something else, take into mind that both of us had our clothes on." I told him, sweating a little. I knew how fast this guy could go, and when you had a blade that can cut through any material, speed is all you need.

"Naruto, because of the previous incident we had, I'll believe you, unless the girl has a different story. However, if she has a different story, you had better run, and I mean fast." Karell said, the threat in his tone not lost on me. Great, now I have to hope that the girl doesn't decide that watching me get killed is funny. Knowing my luck, she probably does.

We heard the girl stir, and I froze in terror. Please tell the truth, please tell the truth. Wait, she saw Prelait, and that made her faint. On second though, lie to him, lie to him. "Excuse me miss, but I have a question for you." Karell said to her.

"Karell, she does have a name you know." I told him.

"Well then, what is it?" He asked me.

"It's-!" I started to say, and suddenly, Hokara was in front of me, a threatening glare in her eyes. "If you tell him my real name, I am going to make your life a living hell, do you understand me?" She asked me, hands balled into fists, her breathing a little heavy, and a small blue aura appearing around her. Yeah, she was giving me a warning, but I only had a small hint.

"Um…sure." I said, backing away a little scared. "But what do you want him to call you?" I asked her, still a little nervous.

"Blue will be a decent name for him to call me." She said in a normal tone, as though she hadn't just threatened me.

"Right, Blue I guess it is for now. Anyway, when I came in, I found you passed out, on top of Naruto. He said he passed out, and didn't know why you were on top of him. Is this true?" He asked her, as though he were a judge about to pass judgment. I would have felt better, except that he was fingering the hilt of his katana. I know he did it on a regular basis, but right now, it looked more like he was preparing his hand for it than anything. Well, it looked like that in my eyes at least.

"Well, what he said is the truth." She told him in a matter of fact tone. I let out a sigh of relief. "However, the reason I passed out, was that I thought I saw some red chakra come out of him, and take the shape of a young woman." She said, and then took on a thinking pose.

"You do realize how ridiculous that sounds, right?" I asked her, trying to cover Prelaits tracks. "Even if I could use a jutsu that made my chakra take form, I wasn't awake at the time to use it. It would be impossible for that to happen." I told her.

"I suppose you are telling the truth." She said, as though she was going over the facts in her head. "However, that doesn't explain what I saw."

"Could be a mirage given to you by the heat." Karell said, as though he were an expert on the subject. "Too long in this heat can get you to see things, and if you don't rest, it might eventually kill you. So, it was probably a good thing that you passed out." He finished, and then grabbed the remaining water.

"Karell, that is her water." I said, indicating Hokara. Or Blue, I don't know how to address her anymore.

"Oh, well, I might as well sleep. Look outside." He said, flopping onto the floor. He was gone in a second. Literally, he was snoring before he hit the ground. I wish I could fall asleep that fast.

I looked outside, and noticed the sun had set. It was getting dark and cold outside. I didn't dare travel through the desert in the middle of the night, too easy to get lost, and it got extremely cold.

"Well, I'll sleep on the floor, you get the bed." I told Hokara, pulling out a sleeping bag, and laying it on the floor. Then I walked to the rest room. "I'll sleep after I get my bath."

"Are you sure you don't want the bed?" She asked me, as though a bit confused.

"I'm pretty sure you can have the bed. Go to sleep. I'll join you two when I'm done cleaning off." I told her. Then I walked into the rest room, not giving her a chance to argue. I swear, sometimes the girl thought she deserved to suffer. It confused me, but I didn't care. After all, I don't really know anything about her except her real name, and I know more than Karell, which is a little sad in my opinion. However, if she doesn't want me to give away her name, I won't tell anyone.

I noticed the water in the bathtub was looking warmer than I would like it, but then again, it was getting really cold, so it might be nice. The water was a little dirty, but not so dirty it wouldn't clean me off. So, I took a bath. It felt pretty good actually. I toweled off afterwards, and put on my clothes. Considering what happened last time I went into my room, I was sleeping with a kunai under my pillow. Suddenly, a piece of paper flew into my face, and I fell over shocked.

The paper had blown in from the window, and I shredded it. It was a nice stress reliever, but it served no other real purpose. Paper…Damn it, why is the thought echoing through my head! This is almost as bad as when I crushed Hinata's spirit, and I know I'm not getting over that anytime soon! Damn it, stupid paper, too much like my thought on Hinata at this point…wait a second…paper, Hinata…I could write an apology! Damn it, why didn't I think of that before! Damn it, work on my thinking skills, I'm getting rusty.

Lets see, paper, paper, Karell still had the paper from the bandit gang. Why don't I use some of that? Should work. Lets see, scrolls, papers, document, all of them have writing on them. Targets, places that have a lot of money, women who look better than most. Ah, blank parchment, this will do nicely. Now, I need a quill. It was nice to see the other two getting some sleep at least. I really need some sleep, but I will probably feel better after I write the apology.

Ah, here we go, a pen. Let's see, what should I write? This was the tough part. Well, here goes nothing I guess.

_Dear Hyuuga Hinata,_

_I am just writing to apologize to you. If you couldn't tell already, this is Uzumaki Naruto. Don't shred the letter in hatred yet. I just wanted to write to apologize. In case you thought you read wrong, I wanted to write to apologize. You know when we were at the gate, and you wanted to go with me? Well, I would have loved to have you as a companion. However, I needed to do this alone, and by alone, with some people who don't know me at all. You know me, and I didn't want to put you in danger at all. That and your father would probably have killed me if he knew where you were. If you want to know why he would have killed me, show this letter to the Hokage, and have him tell you my secret. If you don't hate me then, I will be really surprised. However, you might as well know why you couldn't go with me. Hinata, no matter what anyone tells you, you are a strong person. Your biggest strength is when everyone else is down; you still take time to help them. Remember, that is true strength, helping people in need. Anyone can get strong, anyone can kill, and anyone can learn how to make other suffer. However, someone truly strong will help others with becoming strong, and learning to believe in themselves. In that respect, you are stronger than me. After all, I did crush your spirit, which is a lot easier than reasoning my way out. Don't listen to anything I said at the gate, it was all one big lie. So, I'm sorry if you were hurt in any way shape or form because of what I said. Become strong; don't let anyone get to you, and live life to its fullest. I'll see you when I get back, and if you want, you can kick me in the nuts to make yourself feel better._

_Ja Ne_

_Uzumaki Naruto._

Well, it wasn't the best, but it should get the message across. However, I think I am going to regret letting her kick me in the nuts, maybe I should take that part out. I'll do it in the morning though; I don't really feel up to it right now. I put my letter on the table, and then went to the floor, and fell asleep.

I was in a dark room, no, it wasn't a room, it was a cage. What was I doing here? Better yet, why couldn't I make my body move? A shaft of light entered the room, and a big man entered. He stood at about six and a half feet tall, and wore a black mask, a veil that protected me from seeing him. He had a strong body, his muscles rippled as he walked, but his walk was smooth and graceful, and a warrior's walk. He was in many fights before, and he had come out of them alive. If he had scars, I couldn't see them. He had on a full black body suit, and I couldn't see any skin. He looked like a walking shadow.

My body got up, but I wasn't commanding it too. What is going on? "Are you here for my daily punishment?" I heard myself ask. However, my voice shocked me. First off, I didn't tell myself to say those words. Second off, I had the voice of a little girl. That and I wasn't as tall as I usually was. I know I'm not some huge guy, but I know I should be above this guy's waist. My body started to look around the room, and I saw a mirror. If I had control of the body, my knees would have buckled, and I would have vaulted over. I was a young girl, about eight years old, with blue hair. The same hair as Hokara. She was wearing a tunic; it was a little battered, but useable. She had on a black skirt, which went down to her feet.

This dream was just like the dream where I was in Sasuke's body. My body moved forward, and I stepped into the light. I saw a torture chamber, hot tipped iron rods, vials of acid, serrated weapons, non serrated weapons, torture rack, chains, rope, cages, a little like the one I was just in. However, that wasn't what scared me. What scared me was that my body wasn't shocked at all, as though it had seen this before. Many times before. I saw them heat up an iron rod, and I knew what it was for. I accepted it. "We don't have to do this to you, you know." The guy covered in black told me. It sounded as though he was a little sad about doing it.

"I know." I heard my current body tell him. "But I won't tell you anything you want to know either. I am sworn not to tell anything about my village, and I won't tell you a thing." My voice sounded empty. I knew it to be the truth, but I lost the conviction in my voice a couple years ago when they captured me. Wait, when was I captured? Why did I remember this? These weren't my memories! Why? Why do I know these memories!

I felt torture, for a couple years in a row. The master at torture, or the black guy in the black suit, not racist of course, I didn't know what he really looked like. The guy wouldn't do anything that would leave scars. Even though he was punished for it multiple times, he wouldn't do any serious torture to me. He told me why later, it was because he hated torturing children. If I was a woman, he would still feel bad, but not nearly as he does every day when he does those things to me. I would have felt sorry for him, except that I couldn't because of what he had done to me already.

It was like that till this body reached ten, I felt every torture, every pain, every suffering. At ten however, I escaped. A different torturer came, and he leered at me. "So, you are the victim they are talking about?" He asked me, in a cruel and joyous tone. "I'm not like that other fucktard of a torturer. I'm going to make you bleed, and you look a little young, ten is it? Well, you and I are going to have some fun after the torture." He said to me, an evil glint in his eye. I knew what he was thinking, and it was hard for me to keep food inside of me. However, my body didn't know what was going to happen. However, she knew it wasn't something good.

Torture began, and it was horrible. I had the heated metal iron bar slid across my arms and legs continuously, the torture rack almost snapped when he used it on me, and the ropes were used to hang me upside down, while he slid the heated metal rod along my throat. My current body was crying and screaming the entire time it was happening. "Well, it looks like you made it through the torture." He said with an evil grin on his face. The body I was currently in, was still held down by some ropes. Damn it, this guy is really lucky that I don't have my real body, or this guy would be the one suffering. I wonder one thing though; the torture she went through would put scars on her. How come I never saw any when I looked at her? Is this even her memory? Too many questions, and nowhere near enough answers. Should I ask her about this? On one hand, it might not have ever happened, and she will call me crazy. On the other, she will go into a depression if I do confront her about it. She might get angry as well. I don't think I should.

The torturer's hand reached over, and grabbed my tunic, and there was a strong ripping noise. I no longer had a shirt on, and he just leered at me. My body didn't like the look in his eyes, and I was horrified. Was he really going to do that to her! She was only ten! That sick, twisted, mother fucker! My body felt his hand reach up her skirt, and down her underwear. My body suddenly froze with fear, it kept wondering what he was going to do. His big and meaty hand wouldn't stop touching my body's 'area' and then he suddenly ripped off the underwear, and skirt in one quick rip. This fucker is so lucky I don't know where he lives!

My body was standing in front of him, completely naked, and shaking. He looked over her, and then the body I was in felt very dirty, an unclean thing. It didn't know why it felt like this; all it knew was that it felt dirty. It made it feel like an ugly thing. Then the man unzipped his pants, and pulled them down, as well as his underwear. My body felt shocked, It had always known that men have something different under their pants than women did, and it knew that eventually she would grow bigger in the chest area. However, knowing it and seeing it were two different things. My body got a small voice back, and then it said "What…What are you going to do to me?" It was a weak voice full of fear. Damn it, someone had better save her, I don't want to see this happen, I'm already starting to hate myself because I am the same gender as this bastard!

"Nothing." He told her. "Nothing, as long as you put this in your mouth." He said, indicating his other part. My current body didn't want to, it was too scared. "Have it your way." He said, and then positioned himself to hit my current body's special area. By body began to cry, and then, the guy just…stopped. Suddenly, his head rolled off of his body in a different direction. Then the rest of his body exploded in a violent manner. And floating right there, was the wave of blue energy I saw before.

My current body was still scared, but not as scared as before. Then the blue energy rushed into her, and then the ropes on her arms and legs snapped. I cooling sensation filled my current body, it was very soothing. My current body looked at the wounds, and noticed they had healed without leaving a scar. Then, some clothes appeared on my current body. It was the same clothes I saw her wearing from earlier. Same cloak and it did move around without the help of the wind I noticed. My body didn't understand, but it knew enough to run. Some guards got in the way, but the blue energy appeared again and ripped them to pieces. My body ran, and it ran, and it ran some more. It didn't stop until it ran into a village, and an elderly couple took it in. There, my body learned about sex, and how a lot of men wanted it. My body was horrified about that, and started to despise men.

However, the elderly couple also explained how it was a good thing, so my body didn't despise men anymore, however, it still didn't think highly of them Hell, it didn't trust any man, and barely any women. Not that I blame it. I was starting to hate men as well, and I was one! Well, I was in real life, but not with this dream body. Suddenly, blackness overwhelmed me. The only thing I know was that my current body had learned about the blue energy, and learned to control it.

I was in the same body, four years later. Five men had surrounded me. They wanted to sell me on the black market. Well, they would find out the hard way that it was very hard to capture me. Suddenly, a sharp whistle pierced the air. I looked over towards the direction, and saw Karell, and my real body. Oh damn it, not this. "Well, well, well, what do we have here?" Karell asked. My body thought of him, as the man with the scars.

"Well, I do believe that those men are attacking that woman over there." I heard myself say. My current body thought of me as 'A weird midget.' Nice to know you care too.

"Should we go on and pretend that something like this never happened?" Karell asked to his companion.

Then I got a bloodlust smile on my face, and I saw myself say, "Why would we want to do that?" Then I saw myself pull out a kunai, and cut myself. I saw that the cut had healed in seconds, and then I saw myself lick the kunai. Wow, I did have the appearance of a badass. My current body, however, thought I looked like a moron.

I heard one of the bandits say "And just who the hell are you?"

I saw Karell ease out his katana a little, and then say "Your worst nightmare." My current body thought that these two were fools, trying to play hero and hoping for a 'reward.' The reward being sex of course.

"What are you planning to do to the woman over there?" I heard myself ask the men.

"None of your business." One of the bandits said, easing his sword into a threatening position.

"I'm pretty sure it isn't something good." The Karell said, pulling out the rest of his katana. "Let's do this."

I saw myself pull out a couple shuriken, and a kunai. My current body was tired of this. "Do not interfere." It told Karell, and my real body. It was strange being in one body, and seeing your other body right over there. However, both my real body and Karell had surprised expressions on their face. I know they whisper something, I just couldn't hear what it was.

The blue energy ripped out of the ground, and killed one of the men instantly. The energy flew through the air, and slammed into another man, and then I saw the other three run for their lives. "No escape." My current body said.

The energy went into one of the men, and forced him to expand, and then explode. I heard an explosion, and looked over to see one of them men flying in the air, just as a kunai forced its way into the guys skull. One left, and my blue energy went after it. I saw my blue energy enter it, but I got a feeling that the man was already dead. Then he fell to pieces, and I saw the Karell walk away from him, after cleaning off his blade. My current body decided to give them a 'reward' for their trouble. Being in the situation before, I knew what it was.

"Karell, move!" I heard myself yell out, as the blue energy arced toward him.

Karell yelled out "Shit!" And then he suddenly disappeared from my current vision. He the reappeared by my own side. Well, my real body's side. I saw them whisper to each other, and then Karell put his katana away. I had my blue energy turn into a skull, and had it launch lots of mini skulls at the two. "Fools." My current body said to them.

"Hey, Blue-hair, call off your pet!" I heard myself yell at the body I was currently in. Damn it, I'm just confusing myself at this point.

My current body focused on him, and then saw him launch a kunai. I mean me. Damn this confusing…whatever it is. The blue energy blocked it of course, and then he charged at me. My current body though he was a fool, until it saw what happened. I didn't know that happened, but apparently, my eyes became blood red, and my whisker became more pronounced on my person. I had a kunai in my hand, and I was going a lot faster than before. Fear was pounding through my current body, as it saw my other body become a lot scarier than before. Before my current body could react, I was there taking g a swipe with my kunai. Well, you know what I mean; after all, it was hard to think of fighting yourself.

My current body jumped back, but still got clipped across the head. Pain exploded through me, I hadn't felt any real pain in four years. I felt emotional pain a lot, especially when my current body thought about the torture it had gone through. However this raw pain wasn't something it was used to. My current body clutched my forehead, screaming in pain.

I looked over at my real body and saw the kunai it had cut my current body with enter my shoulder. It ripped the kunai out, taking more skin than need be with it. My current body forced the blue energy form into a spear, and then made it fly at my real body. Then my real bod tried to run, but it tripped. My current body was happy that it was finally over, until it saw red energy appear and intercept the blue energy. Shock rippled through my current body. "How?" Was all my current body asked, looking at the two energies.

Suddenly, my current body saw my real body in front of it, and screamed. Then my real body grabbed her, and then shoved a kunai to her throat. "Call off your energy or die!" I heard myself say in a really harsh tone. My current body was too scared, and then blackness engulfed it.

Then I woke up in a strange room, on a bed. It was the hotel, I was guessing. My current body realized it was on a bed, and thought it knew what those two were going to do to it. My current body thought that it might as well get over it, and took off its clothes and hoped that those two would hurry up. Then the door opened, and it saw my real body there, bug-eyed, and jaw dropped. It found this puzzling, and amusing. However, it still didn't like this situation at all. "W-What are y-you doing!" I heard my real body stutter out.

My current body told him that it thought this was what it wanted. My real body denied it, you people know the story. However, when Karell came in, he was just as shocked, and then yelled at my real body. Then my current body realized something, these men didn't want sex. They were just helping her. It didn't think that at first though, at first it thought that they were lying to make her feel better. Then she saw Karell draw his katana, and saw that they were serious. My current body stated to giggle, and then it laughed. It hadn't done that in a couple years, and it felt pretty good to it. My body told them that my real was telling the truth. After that, a white blinding light engulfed me.

It was very hot right now. Too hot for me to like it. I woke up, covered in sweat. That dream was too realistic for me to like. It was too close to the dream I had about Sasuke and the clan massacre. I just hope I don't have a couple repeats of this dream as well; it was about as bad as the other one. I looked at the clock, and realized that it was ten after. Damn it, I slept in later than I thought. I looked around, and saw Hokara and Karell playing a game of chess, Hokara was kicking his ass as well. "Checkmate." She said in a triumphant tone.

"Let's see, that put you at three wins, me at two, and one stalemate." Karell said.

"Why didn't you two wake me up?" I asked them, getting up.

"You looked like you needed sleep, so we let you have it." Karell told me. "Oh yeah, and we mailed your letter." He told me.

I froze. "Wait, you sent my letter?" I asked him, a little weak in the voice area.

"The one you sent to your girlfriend? Yeah, we sent it for you." Karell said, setting up the board for another game.

"She wasn't my girlfriend!" I yelled at him, and I saw Karell freeze.

"She…wasn't your girlfriend?" He asked me, starting to sweat.

"Karell…" I said his name with a warning that said he had better answer me. "What did you do?"

"Naruto, maybe this isn't the best place to tell you." He said, putting the chess pieces away.

"Why is that?" I asked him. I saw Hokara burst out laughing, and I really wanted to know what happened. When the pieces were away, he gave the board to Hokara, and then walked over to the doorway.

"Well Naruto, are you sure she wasn't your girlfriend?" He asked me, as though he was trying to find a way out of a situation alive. Something told me is shouldn't have let him near the door.

"I'm pretty sure she wasn't my girlfriend. She is one of the richest people in Konoha, large status, and I'm only a peasant at best. I doubt she would even have a crush on me." I told him, eyeing him like a lion. By that, I mean I was ready to kill him. I didn't like the sound of his voice.

"How do you know she wasn't interested in you? After all, she did want to go with you." He said to me.

"She was probably looking for adventure. After all, no woman with a right mind could see anything in me." I told him in a flat voice. After all, what do I have to offer them? I have no money, no title, no job at this point, and I don't have any redeeming qualities.

"So, Naruto, do you think I can outrun you?" Karell asked me.

"Depends on how pissed off I am at your answer." I told him, starting to seethe, and I don't even know what he did. Hokara was on the bed, lying down, laughing as hard as she could, I was starting to think she might need medical attention.

"Well Naruto, I kind of, well, you know…" Karell said, trying to stall for time.

"You did what!" I almost screamed at him. I was this close to exploding.

"I kind of, in your letter, the one you wrote to the girl, I kind of asked her if she would marry you in it before I sent it. Isn't that a good laugh?" He asked me, making a fake laugh.

"Karell." I said his name to get his attention, anger flooding through me, but not showing in my voice yet.

"Yes Naruto?" He asked, and I felt fear wash off of him.

"YOU HAD BETTER RUN AS FAST AS YOU CAN FUCKING GO, BECAUSE WHEN I CATCH YOU, I'M GOING TO MAKE YOUR LIFE HELL!" I screamed at him, and he bolted. I rushed after him. Now I have to become the laughing stock of the village because I got shot down to hell. Karell was defiantly dieing if I got my hands on him. That, and I never took the part where Hinata could kick me in the nuts out, something i probably wouldn't enjoy.

General Badaxe- And there is the third chapter. Sorry it took me about two weeks to update, but I have school now, and I am currently searching for a job. So, updates might be a little less frequent than usual. Also, I am writing two epic length fan fics, so I might take two to four weeks to update again. Sorry in advance, and I'll see you when I update again.


	4. Chapter 4

General Badaxe- Ok, updating Blood Raider. Well, this is going to be a short A.N., not many questions and stuff to answer. Evil Fang, First, shame on you for doubting my writing skills by now. You have read almost every fic I wrote, probably all of them, and yet you thought this would be a bad one? I should smack you. EvilP, I don't have Ninjas yell out the name of the moves they are using, it seems to me like the most retarded thing a silent assassin can do. Although, could you tell me why you find the Kyuubi in this one to be annoying, I like the thought of the supposed 'bad ass demon' in fact being a peppy happy spoiled girl. Who gets violent when she is drunk or doesn't get her way. I find it to be different, unless you have already read a fic where she has that kind of personality. If you have, I wish I could have read it. Meinos877, please don't tell me how to write my fics. However, to make you feel better, I still haven't decided on the pairings, we'll see how things go. As for you thinking there are too many Naru Hina fics, I disagree. However, I do agree they are getting too cliché, and predictable. So, if you meant that, I understand, I wish authors would do something different as well. I do however think there are too many yaoi and yuri fics, those are just wrong. Unless the character is gay in the game, manga, movie, etc. I don't think there should be those kinds of fics including them. And, I was wrong. This was a little longer A.N. than I thought it would be. Oh well, on with the fic.

"Naruto, are you still pissed at me?" Karell asked, keeping Hokara in between me and him. He learned that I wasn't in the best mood after I learned what he did with my letter.

"Why Karell, that is a stupid question." I told him in a stoic voice. "OF COURSE I'M PISSED AT YOU!" I screamed, trying as hard as I could not to pull out some kunai and shurikens. I succeeded, but I still had the urge to.

"You two really should get along better." Hokara told me, in a neutral tone. I've been trying to get her to get a better personality than a quiet person who looks like she has gone through Hell. But, she won't usually go above a neutral tone of voice. She really needs to develop a personality.

"Well, tell Naruto not to try to kill me anymore! I know he would have killed me that one night if I didn't wake up!" Karell said in a defensive tone,

"Bull shit!" I told him. "I was getting a drink! Also, I believe it was your 'wise judgment' that told us to go this way, and now look where we are!" I told him.

Well, we were no longer in the desert. I will admit, I didn't like the desert, and when Karell told me he knew a way out, I felt I could forgive him about our little incident. However, right now we were in a worse place than the desert. We were in a rain forest. We were surrounded by thick trees, and shade covered us and kept the suns beating rays off of us. Food was all around us, and it was pretty easy to find water. Why did I hate it?

It was too humid. Even though the sun no longer was hitting us, the humidity made it seem as hot as the desert if not hotter. Bugs were everywhere, and they mostly attached themselves to me and Karell. Any bug that got close to Hokara was killed by a small spark of blue energy. I was starting to envy that ability of hers. Who was I kidding; I wish I did have that ability. But, we also had to worry about a couple plants that ate people alive, we even ran into a weird fungus that tried to use us as breeding grounds for its strange children. Don't ask, I don't really want to explain it.

"Anyways, we should find a place to set up camp for the night." Hokara told us in a monotone voice.

"Blue," I told her, I still found it a little strange to be calling her by this name when I knew her real one "Explain to me why we are camping here? I know I'm getting tired, but I don't want to camp out here unless it is absolutely necessary. Also, I want to talk to you about talking and laughing like you were back at the town." I told her.

"How many times have I told you?" She asked me in a monotone. "It was a malfunction of my defenses, my oral capacity was into a mixed up state fit due to your unexpected kindness." She told me.

"Right, now say it in proper English." I told her in a joking matter. She glared at me, but didn't say anything. "I prefer it when you were more like a person." I muttered under my breath.

"Yeah, I have to agree with you there." Karell said, still on the other side of Hokara.

"I preferred it when you were just some guy in a bar, and weren't following me around." I told him in a harsh voice.

"That's mean." He told me in a semi-pouting voice. "Well, we probably should set up camp. It is staring to get even darker around here." He said, in a more sophisticated voice.

"Fine, you two win. We'll set up camp. However, I'm not taking any watches for fear of bugs eating me alive." I told them in a bitter voice.

"Agreed." Hokara told me in a small, but semi-happy voice. Why would she be happy?

We staked out an area, and then Karell pulled out a couple tents. One for Him and me, and one for Hokara. It took us a good three minutes to set up the tents, mainly because I wasn't about to make clones in front of these two. Both of them knew about me housing a demon, Karell explained it to Hokara, but they didn't know all my moves. I still didn't trust the completely. I will admit though, I'm starting to let Karell grow on me, and Hokara, well; I can't really find a reason to hate her. However, I won't expose all my secrets to them. Basic ninja techniques I can use, and possibly any one that I find along this adventure, however, I won't show them my trump card unless it is absolutely necessary.

"Right, who has first watch?" Karell asked Hokara.

"You do." She said, walking into her own tent.

Karell turned to me, pleading to let him sleep. I gave him a death glare, and told him "Do you want me to kill you in your sleep? No? Then you had better take first watch, and let me sleep. In fact, if one of you two wake me up, there will be Hell to pay, now…good night." I finished in a cheerful, voice.

'Kit, at some point, you have to work on your people skills.' Prelait thought to me.

'All right, when you work on your drinking problem.' I thought to her.

'I don't have a drinking problem. I drink, and I get drunk, but I don't have a problem!' She thought to me defensively.

'Prelait, you are the worst excuse for a demon ever.' I thought to her.

'Kit, do you want to see an awful demon? One day, I'll show you Shukaku, now HE is a lame excuse for a demon! Not only is he some pitifully weak guy, but the guy has an ego problem! It was very satisfying to smash him into the dirt.' Prelait thought to me, and then I heard her giggling fondly at old memories.

I went inside of the tent, and laid down on a futon I had packed. I was sick of sleeping in a sleeping bag, so I got a futon in the last town. It was a lot more comfortable I might add. I closed my eyes, and let the sound of Karell swearing at bug bites lull me into sleep.

I was in a strange room to say the least. Currently I was laying on a big green couch, with my head propped up on a pillow. Around me was a fireplace, a nice warm fire dancing around the logs it was using for fuel. I looked around, and the walls were made out of solid oak wood, that had been painted a strange shade of brown, giving the wall a fake look. The carpet was a turquoise blue color, with golden foxes running around and playing all along it. There was a lamp on the white ceiling, which illuminated the room with a laughing light which flickered around with the changing atmosphere.

Along the walls were weird papers that looked a little like diplomas, pictured in some frames, and even a plaque. Then I saw a desk across from the couch I was in. It was made of cherry, and hadn't been painted over. On the desk was a small bronze slate, which said 'Psychotherapist' on it. Sitting behind the desk, was Prelait in a business sit, a clipboard, and a pen. "Oh no." I moaned out loud clutching my head in my hands.

"Well kit, I'm guessing you have figured out why you are here." She told me, putting the clipboard down in front of her.

"You invited me over for milk and cookies?" I asked her in a sour voice.

"Close." She told me giggling. "But, I am here to check out your mental damage so far." She told me, picking up the clipboard again.

"You aren't going to just let me walk out are you?" I told her as more of a statement.

"Correct kit. Now then, we are about to start. Do you have any questions?" She asked me.

"Yeah I do." I told her, sitting up on the couch. "Do you have to call me kit in this kind of atmosphere? Can't you call me 'Naruto' when you at least trying to be serious?" I asked her.

"Well, if you want me to be serious, I'll have to call you Uzumaki-san, not Naruto. Would you prefer that?" She asked me, a smile in her eyes.

"You know what," I told her, lying back down on the couch. It was surprisingly comfortable. "Just call me kit. I suppose I can't stop you anyway, sort of like me trying to stop this session." I said in a dry voice.

"That's the spirit!" She said happily. "Now, let us begin. Kit, do you feel uptight, as though your muscles are hardening, and it is starting to get harder to walk, and perform regular tasks?" She asked me.

"Sometimes." I admitted. "Only on the really bad days though, other times I am jut fine. Also, I sometimes feel a sharp pain in my rear end for no apparent reason." I told her.

"Right, subject admits to having a bad body, check." Prelait said, marking something with her pen. If I didn't know better, I would think that was some kind of dirty joke. "Right, next question. Do you have depressing thoughts on a regular basis?" She asked me.

I just turned my head towards her. "Do you mean now, or do you want some average of my life?" I asked her.

"Kit, just an average of the past couple of days since you joined these two weird people." She told me.

"They are normal compared to you." I muttered under my breath. Then I raised my voice, and said "Not as often as I did in Konoha, but I still have them every once in a while. Why do you ask?" I asked her, quirking an eyebrow.

"Subject admits to depressing thought, not as often as usual though." Prelait said to herself, marking something on the clipboard down. "Now then, do you have any…interesting dreams?" She asked me.

"What do you mean by interesting dreams?" I asked her, a little suspicious.

"You know what I mean kit. The kind of dreams that are expected of kids your age." She said to me.

"Prelait, if you are implying what I think you are implying." I told her, in a warning tone.

"I am kit; you know what I am talking about." She said to me, poising her pen to be ready for writing.

"In that case, I have them all the time." I told her in a sarcastic voice. "I have them about you, Hokara, Hinata, and every other girl I have seen or know. In fact, I had one recently where all of us have a giant orgy." I told her, in the most sarcastic voice I can muster.

"Subject has perverted dreams on a regular basis, and apparently dreams about women who are much older than him. Definitely a closet pervert." Prelait said in a serious voice, marking something down on her little clipboard.

"I was joking!" I told her in an outraged voice.

Prelait just grinned, and then said "I know, but it is fun to tease you."

"Well, what have you come up with?" I asked her.

She took a deep breath, and then exhaled. Then she put down her clipboard, and walked from around her desk. Now that I got a better look, I knew what she was wearing. It was a business suit, with a skirt that went a little above her knees. Grey color, with stripes running up and down the front. I was happy to report she wasn't wearing a tie. It probably would have looked ridiculous anyway.

She walked to the couch, and sat down next to me, as though she were about to give me a death sentence. She put her hand onto my head, and then exhaled with her eyes closed. She opened her eyes to reveal her crimson red orbs, and then told me, "Kit, honestly, you are slowly killing yourself."

"What? What do you mean by that?" I asked her, instantly worried about my health.

"Kit, you are stressing yourself out too much." She told me, stating to caress my jaw in some sort of weird sympathy. "You are thinking about everyone back home, and you are doing you best to think about all of them at once. In doing so, you are performing acts like they would, and your body isn't used to it. So, of course it is revolting by sending you pain. Then, we have you depressing thoughts. Not only are you lying to me about them, but you are also lying to yourself. You have depressing thoughts all the time, mostly about the people back in Konoha, who you think will abandon you if they learn about me."

"Wait, I didn't tell you that, how did you figure it out?" I asked her, wondering if she could read my mind.

"Kit, I figured it out by what you didn't say and how your body reacted. Your hands started to shake when you were telling me about you depressing thoughts, meaning you were probably lying. That and you refused to look me in the eye at the same time. Another sign of lying." She said to me with a sad smile on her face.

"I don't suppose you know how I can fix that?" I asked her, starting to worry if other people could figure that stuff out about me.

"Fix what? Your lying skills, or your mental problem?" She asked me; pulling her hand away from me, and having it sit on her lap.

"I would like it if you fixed both." I told her in a bitter voice.

"Well kit, you will have to work on your lying skills on your own time. However, to fix your stress problem…" She let it trail off, and walked back behind her desk. I just stared at her, I felt my breathing become a little heavier. What is she going to tell me? That question beats around my head like the beat of a drum, just bouncing around, and when it seems like it is going to die, starts up louder than ever.

Prelait then draws in a deep breath, and I found my heart to do the same. It just seemed to stop when she lowered her head a little. Then she looked at me in a serious manner. Well, let's hope that she doesn't suggest that I have to do anything crazy. "Kit, you should get laid." She told me.

I drew in a sharp breathe, and then started choking on that air. I pounded my fist against my chest, trying to get myself to breathe properly. I couched a little more, and finally after one more tough slam against my chest, I started to breathe heavily, but still properly. "What the hell!?" I yelled at Prelait, "What kind of therapist are you?! Telling me to get laid to relieve stress building up in me!"

"Well, Neral told me it was a great stress reliever!" Prelait told me defensively "I don't know if it is a fact, but what have you got to lose?" She asked me.

"My virginity for starters." I told her in a sour voice. "Anyways, just who am I supposed to have sex with? I don't exactly see many willing women around here. Anyways, how many would just have sex with a random stranger? Right, as my self appointed therapist, you should at least try to give a decent suggestion to me." I told her, folding my arms over my chest.

"Kit, you do know about Hokara and Hinata right?" Prelait asked me.

I just looked over at her. "Yeah, and what do you want me to do about them? Hokara is acting a little non human, and Hinata probably wants to kill me, castrate me, or a combination of the two. Anyways, we are talking about willing women here, not those two." I told her, wondering what she was getting at.

"Kit…" Prelait, said, letting my little nickname trail off "For someone who is more intelligent than they seem, you can sure be pretty stupid sometimes." She told me, in a voice that acted like I was one of the most retarded people alive.

"Gee, thanks for telling me I am stupid." I told her, and then in a sarcastic voice, I said "You make an excellent therapist."

"Thank you!" She said in a cheery voice. "Anyways kit, if you can't figure it out yourself, then who am I to just give you the answer? Time will either tell you, make it so that you will never need to know, or it will slap you upside your head, and you will wonder how you could have been so stupid."

"Well, I'm never going to you for therapy even again." I muttered under my breath.

"Well kit, it looks like our session is over for the day." Prelait said in a bright and cheery voice. "Have a nice day, eat healthy, work out on a regular basis, don't get killed, don't expose anything more than you need to, and finally, the most important thing I can tell you, have fun!" She finished, and then she waved to me.

What was that all about? Suddenly, a pillar of light appeared in the center of the room, and then slowly expanded outwards. Geez, my ways of waking up are just getting plain weird. Suddenly, the pillar of light stormed me, and let me into the horrible world of my reality.

I woke up in my tent, and noticed Karell was next to me asleep. Well, I noticed a huddle of blankets that was rising and falling, and his katana was next to it, so I was going to assume it was him. All I know for certain was that one of those two had better be at watch, or there was going to be a really rude awakening. I sat up, and put on my kunai and shuriken pouches, and then opened the tent flap, and walked outside. The sun was barely lifting over the trees, flirting with the dark sky on who should come out at this time. The wind rustled the trees around me, setting a small sound, and I used it to hear any disturbances in the area. None that I could hear, so I was going to assume no one was around. However, I'm still not satisfied, so I was going to keep my guard up.

I noticed Hokara was sitting next to a tree, keeping vigilant while she watched the surrounding area. She noticed me, and allowed herself a small smile. It was an inviting one, so I might as well take it. I walked over, and plopped myself down next to her, and then took in a deep breath. "So, how long have you been up?" I asked her, letting the wind play with my hair. No matter what it did, it wouldn't be able to get rid of my spikes. If a kunai can't cut it, I doubt the wind will be able to do anything to it.

"Since the middle of the night." Hokara said to me, in a slightly drowsy voice. She was letting her sleepiness hit her now that someone else was awake.

"Go rest for a bit, I'll keep watch for one or two hours before I wake you up." I told her, easing against the tree so that it wouldn't feel like the tree was puncturing my back with the bark.

"Thank you." Hokara said, before she got up, and walked like she was in a drunken stupor towards her tent. How late was she keeping watch? I don't think it was half the night, she wouldn't wobble that badly. Well, I was going to have a talk with Karell.

That brings a couple other things to my mind. Why do Karell and I keep scaring each other? There are times when I run from him, but there are also times when he runs from me. Who would win in a fight? He has that god-like speed, but he is so frail looking, that one punch from me could probably knock him out. Then again, that Katana of his can cut through me like a hot knife through butter. But, I also have a demon in me that can boost my speed, strength, and regenerative abilities. Who would win? It would be a short, but very interesting fight.

Oh well, I probably shouldn't worry about it, I don't think we will try to kill each other. Well, not until one of us royally pisses off the other one. As for who will do it first, that is undecided. Now then I also have to worry about Gerth. Who is he? That, and his assassins could be anywhere. From what Karell tells me, this is a guy who shouldn't be underestimated for any reason.

Also, how am I supposed to deal with a peppy demon inside of me? If it weren't for the fact that she could slam my ass all the way across the country, I would have tried to force her out, or anything. Well, that and when she does leave my body, I get some sort of withdrawal. Not my favorite experience in the world. Is it just me, or are my problems becoming worse and worse? That and why is this Gerth character after me? What did I do to piss him off?

So many questions, no answers, thus the story of my life is made real. Wait, what's that sound? There is no sound. This is the rain forest; birds should at least be chirping…Someone is here. That is the only explanation, someone must be around us. How am I supposed to wake up Hokara and Karell without warning the guy around us that someone is near? I can't just go wake them up, the guy would catch on.

I felt a sharp pain on my right wrist, and then slammed my left palm onto it, and looked at the remains of a bug on my right wrist. Damn bug bit me. Wait…that could work. Well, here goes nothing. "ITA!" I scream as loud as I can; shaking my right hand, while holding it with my left.

Suddenly, the tent Karell was in was cut into small pieces, and he was outside, his katana drawn in his hand, his eyes looking a little bloodshot, and looking around in a menacing manner. The tent Hokara was sleeping in suddenly exploded, yes, I said exploded. It erupted into small pieces of confetti, as a blue swirling energy surrounded Hokara, and she too looked around the place, searching for an enemy.

"Naruto, what's the problem?" Karell asked me, looking into the trees, and then having his eyes traveling along the ground.

"I heard you scream, what is the danger?" Hokara asked me.

I felt my face turn a little red, and I scratched the back of my head. "Um, how do I tell you this?" I asked no one in particular. "I was bit by a bug, and I wasn't expecting it." I told them, and then let out a nervous laugh. This plan was a lot better in my head. I didn't expect them to destroy the tents in order to be ready.

Both of them glared at me, I think I felt my hair sizzling. "Tell me you are joking." Karell said to me, starting to slide his katana back into his sheathe. He looked a little ticked, and then turned away to look at the tent. "Damn it, look at this! I swear, we are going to have to buy a new tent, and you know what? We are getting pretty low on money! Because someone had to buy a futon, not mentioning any names of course." Karell said, glaring at me.

"You need to work on the installment and control of your wide range of emotions. That, or your voice box needs some maintenance." Hokara said to me, clenching her right hand into a fist. I didn't like the way she worded it.

'Kit, maybe you shouldn't piss them off this early in the morning.' Prelait thought to me, and I think I felt a little fear coming off of her voice.

'I'll make a mental note not to do it.' I thought to her.

'Kit, there is a reason the birds aren't chirping.' Prelait thought to me.

'Well, I think that there is a man around trying to spy on us, or possibly kill us. He could be one of Greths assassins.' I thought to her.

'Or kit it could be that the birds can sense the demon inside of you, and have gone into hiding for fear of my wrath.' Prelait thought to me, in a rational voice.

'What?' I asked her, and then I thought 'Birds never minded when I was around them before.'

'Well kit, you also had a seal on you keeping me from escaping. Right now, nothing is keeping me from escaping. The birds and animals can sense this, so they will probably be doing there best to avoid you. Don't take it personally, survival instincts and all.' Prelait thought to me.

'Well, what am I supposed to tell these two?!" I asked her, thinking about Hokara and Karell.

'You know, that is a good question. Personally, I would go with the story of a bug biting you, and hope that they don't get too pissed at you. That is really all the information I can give you.' Prelait thought to me. 'However kit, if they do decide to kill you, I'm probably going to escape so they don't kill me I the process. So, if this is the last time we talk, I would like to say, it was nice knowing you!' Prelait said, retreating back into the corner of my mind, or wherever she goes when she isn't talking to me.

Right, she just left me so I could stare death in the face. Yeah, I love her too. Well, now I pray that I can get out of this with my life intact, that, and if I am lucky I can get out without having the tar beat out of me as well. "Well guys, sudden pain tends to lead one to believe something is amiss, and the first reaction is to scream suddenly, mostly in surprise than pain." I told them, scratching the back of my head, even though I didn't itch at all.

"Naruto, you are so lucky that I think we should get moving anyways, or I would tear you to bits." Karell said, rubbing his eyes, getting his eyes out of his common death glare he uses on people he is about to seriously fuck up.

"Naruto, annoyance in my personal visage will result in the uncomfortable feeling of you rear torso, do I make myself clear?" Hokara said to me, glaring at me still.

"All right, all right!" I said, waving my hands in front of my face to keep them from thinking about stepping closer. "Geez, the way you two harass me, you would think Hokara and I are married, and you were our son Karell." I told them, and I saw Hokara's face go bright red. Wow, sunburn happened pretty quickly on her, I never noticed her skin was that tender. Come to think of it, her face wasn't that red in the desert either. Well, to each his own I suppose.

"Naruto, help me pack the tent, or my sword is going so far up your ass, you have to find a new place to shit, now MOVE!" Karell said, starting to take Hokaras tent down.

Who was I to argue with a pissed off swordsmen? I walked over, and packed the tent firmly into the back pack, and hauled it over my shoulder. I think I felt my should get a little wrenched when I did it. I looked over, and Hokaras face was back to her normal color. Well, that was the weirdest sun burn I have ever seen. Or didn't see. Maybe the heat was starting to affect me in more ways than I thought. "So Karell, which way are we going now?" I asked him since he had the map.

"Well, there should be a village a good day away from here. We are going there, and probably going to get some decent sleep, and restock our supplies." Karell said, peering over the piece of parchment that had the map on it. "Well, we are probably not going to have a very good hike; we have to travel through a swamp."

"Is there anyway we can avoid the natural obstacle obstructing our path?" Hokara asked us, slinging her tent over her back. She was nice enough to pull her own weight.

"Depends," Karell said peering over the map "Can you ask me the question again, except this time ask me in English?"

"Karell es los idiota" Hokara said, grinning a little mischievously

"All right, I know you insulted me just then." Karell said, glaring at her.

"I would never do such a thing." Hokara said with a grin on her face, and then she said "After all, who would want to insult such an upstanding citizen such as yourself?" Hokara said, not trying very hard to contain her laughter.

"Look Blue," Karell said, sighing in defeat. "Just tell me what you said, except do it without the big words, so I can give you a straight answer."

"Is there a way we can go around the swamp?" Hokara asked, looking a little impatient all of a sudden, as though she were talking to a three year old.

"Why can't you be more like that more often?" I asked Hokara.

"More like what?" She asked me.

"More…joking." I told her, and her eyes widened a little. "You seem more human when you joke around a little, like someone who could be more liked by everyone, instead of giving this cold appearance, and making it seem like you just want to kill everyone." I told her.

Suddenly, she glared ice daggers at me, and I heard Karell say "Um, Naruto? I need to go to the bathroom, I'll be back later." Then, I heard him run away, a lot faster, and farther than it is needed for you to go to the restroom. That jerk just ditched me. Great, now I pray that Hokara doesn't try to kill me.

'Well, you need to work on your conversation skills.' Prelait thought to me.

'Are you going to run away this time?' I asked her, looking at Hokara who looked like she was ready to ring my neck.

'Well kit, I don't plan to run away this time. This conversation will be pretty interesting to me.' Prelait thought to me, snickering a little.

'May I ask why it is going to be interesting, your highness?' I asked her sarcastically.

'Well loyal subject, you may, but I am not going to grace you with an answer from my humble lips.' She thought to me in an imperial tone.

'I really need to teach you the difference between sarcasm, and being serious.' I thought to her, feeling sweat start to appear on my forehead, Hokara was still glaring at me.

'I know the difference kit; it's just that I like to poke fun with you. It is interesting, and I do need something to do while I am inside of you, at least until I can find a way to separate myself from you without making you go into some horrible depression.' Prelait thought to me, in a rare moment where she seems to care about me.

'You know, if I didn't know better, I would think you cared for me a little bit.' I thought to her.

'You really aren't that smart.' Prelait thought to me while giggling. 'I do care about you silly. I mean, I am the source of most of your anguish and pain. So, I do feel partly responsible for you.'

'Um, so the horrific and terrifying demon inside of me cares about me. Well, no one in Konoha would believe that. Well, you care about me in a platonic way, right?' I thought to her.

Prelait giggled, and then thought to me 'Well kit, that is for me to know and for you to find out.'

Well, doesn't that make me feel safe when I sleep at night. Anyways, back to Hokara and the situation I am in. "Um Hokara, it would be nice if you didn't stare at me like that." I told her, feeling even more sweat appear above my brow, starting to trickle ever so slowly down my face.

"Naruto, what have I told you about saying my real name out loud?" She asked me in an icy tone, her eyes ripping through my skin to reveal the feeling I was having at the moment.

I felt naked before her gaze, she was stripping me down to my very emotions to find what I meant by that comment. It was almost painful, the way she stared at me, as though I was some horrible monster that had stolen everything from her, and she was trying to get it back without revealing what it was. "You told me never to say your name out loud when anyone else was around. We are the only ones here." I told her, trying to have my tone remain neutral, so I wouldn't give anything away.

"Well, you are correct for once Naruto." She told me with an icy dagger in her breath. I didn't feel safe here. "So tell me, why do you think that you understand me? How could you possibly know what I have gone through? The pain I felt, the suffering, the hopelessness, the desolate feeling that beats along with every breath I breathe?" She asked me, almost yelling that last part.

I knew too well. "Look, what do you want me to do? I can only go along with what I know. I'm doing my best, but I still think you should develop the small glimpses of you emerging personality I have seen." I told her, standing my ground as she continued her assaults.

"Naruto, you will never understand me, and you could never hope to." She told me, her breath still icy, but it gained a heat in itself to back up her reasoning. "I have suffered more than you could possibly hope to, I have felt more pain that you have, I have been isolated from my friends and family, I don't have anyone anymore. I feel unclean, I don't think I can return to my home for fear my family and friends will see what happened to me, and denounce me where I stand. No, you could never hope to feel my pain. DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA THE KIND OF PAIN I AM FEELING RIGHT NOW?!" She yelled at me. "I will probably never be able to return to my home again." She said in a quieter and sadder voice.

All right, she insulted me, she called me a moron, she has ridiculed me, and I don't really care. However, how dare she say I have never suffered. Now I'm pissed. "How dare you accuse me of such things?" I told her in a quiet voice, smothered with rage. "I have never suffered? I have never felt pain? How do you know that about me?" I asked her. She seemed taken aback, and at a loss for words. "Do you know what has happened to me?" I asked her. She shook her head in response. Her eyes were a little wider from my tone, or from my seriousness, I couldn't tell.

"Let me tell you what happened to me!" I screamed at her, feeling blood pump through me at an increased rate, feeling anger flood through my veins threatening to break through my skin it was so powerful. "I have never been taken care of. I never had a family, I didn't even have friends until I am the age I am today. And now, I made one of my friends feel like she was a piece of shit." I spat at Hokara. Vengeance has no limits.

"Hated and ridiculed everyday, I didn't know what 'kindness' and 'happiness' was." I said, my eyes feeling like they were on fire, but I wouldn't stop staring into her orbs. "Pain that you are feeling? WHAT ABOUT THE PAIN I FEEL?! You think you are the only one who has suffered?!" I screamed at her.

"You have no idea the kind of pain I have felt, you can't know what has happened to me." Hokara said in a soft voice, mostly to herself to keep herself believing she is the only one who has suffered.

"What? That you were captured and tortured for a good part of your life?" I asked her. She gasped, and stared at me, her eyes and body beginning to shake. "That some weird guy tortured you, and almost raped you while you were a child? That you have seen me in my demonic form, a crazed looking psycho?! You think you have suffered?!" I screamed at her, and now she was on the brink of tears.

"How…how could you possibly know what has happened to me?" She asked me, her hands moving to her lips, thinking that they betrayed her at some point, probably in her sleep.

"I have my ways." I told her, my voice still outlined with anger. "I have seen worse as well, I have seen an entire clan slaughtered in front of my very eyes. I have been hated and ridiculed since I was born, over something I have no control over. I killed my first person when I was barely out of diapers to defend myself, the rest of Konoha wouldn't defend me. I was forced to adopt a mask of stupidity so the villagers wouldn't be able to think of another reason I should be killed. Do you know what it is like acting retarded, being forced to answer everything in a way you know isn't true, to make everyone hate you less?! Do you know what it is like to be cast out of everything and not knowing why this was for most of your life? Do you know what it is like, to find out a demon is sealed inside of you, realizing most of your life has been a lie, and having to go back to school the next day, and pretend nothing happened? Do you know how much I have suffered?!" I screamed at her finally. I finished, and I was breathing heavily, panting to get air inside of my burning lungs.

She just stared at me her eyes as wide as dinner plates. "Naruto…How do I say this…" She let it trail off; seeming as though she talked to herself in her head, trying to find out a solution.

I walked over, and embraced her. She jumped a little, due to the unexpected contact. "Look, I'm not angry at you; I just want you to know that you aren't the only one in the world who has suffered. It is unhealthy for you to hide your emotions; you should develop the personality of yours. I'm sorry for yelling, but you did piss me off when you said I have never suffered. Trust me, I have been through a lot, and so have you, I don't deny that. However, don't let your past rule your future, or you will suffer through most of it." I told her, in a calm and soothing voice. "Also, I feel it, you can cry. It is an emotion, and needs to be experienced like every other one. Let it out." I told her in a soothing voice.

She did just that. She had her head against my shoulder, and was letting all of her pent up sorrows out of her. It felt pretty good to help her, and I also felt her embrace me back in a tight embrace. I felt her cry even harder, and then it seemed that her tears were drying up. She lifted her head, and smiled a little bit, and said in a small and soft voice "Thank you."

"No problem, everyone needs to let out there sorrows, or it will destroy them eventually." I said to her, a grin stretching along my face.

'You know, you probably should follow your own advice.' Prelait thought to me, interrupting the sad moment.

'And why should I do that?' I asked her; a little angry she interrupted the moment.

'Kit, you are a hypocrite. You tell her to do one thing, but you won't do it yourself. What kind of example are you setting?' She asked me.

"Good, you two have made up. Now, we need to move on."

"That's an odd thing to say." I said to Hokara.

"Naruto, that wasn't me." Hokara told me, suddenly stopping crying.

"Wait…Karell, When did you get back?!" I screamed out loud, not knowing where he was.

He stepped out from behind a tree. "I got here a while you were embracing her. Touching stuff by the way. Did I interrupt anything?" He asked us.

I just glared at him, and I think Hokara did too because he froze where he stood. "Um, if you two want, I'll disappear again." He said, scratching the back of his head.

I let out a sigh, and then said "Don't bother; we have wasted enough time as it is. We need to get moving through that swamp of yours, I don't want to stay in there unless we have to." I told him, letting go of Hokara.

"Right, to 'Dead Man's Swamp!" Karell said in a cheery voice, starting to step towards where he indicated where the swamp was.

I froze where I stood. "Dead Man's Swamp?" I asked him, wondering where it got its name from. I had a feeling that I didn't want to know the answer.

"Yeah, it got its name from having only a ten percent chance for someone to live going through it." Karell said offhandedly, as though we were going on some sort of picnic.

"Karell, what lives in the Dead Man's Swamp?" Hokara asked him, starting to get worried as well.

"No one knows, the only people who made it through went insane, and so no one knows if what they said is accurate or not." Karell told us in the same cheery voice.

I looked at Hokara, and she looked back, the same question in our eyes: "Why are we letting this mad man lead us around?"

"Karell, we should find a better route to proceed on our journey." Hokara told him, her voice almost shaking.

"Come on, where is your spirit of adventure? We can tackle this, after all, we have demon boy over there to help us." Karell said, pointing his thumb over his shoulder at me.

"Well, don't I feel special, after all, being referred to as 'demon boy' is an honor I have always wanted." I told him in a sarcastic tone. "While we are at it, lets call you 'scar face', and we will call her 'ice queen', what do you think about that?" I asked him in the same sarcastic tone.

"I'll get you for calling me ice queen." Hokara muttered to me in a threatening voice. Well, I do believe that I just signed a death sentence for myself. Well, it isn't the first time I have done such a thing, and I am alive today, I'll just hope that things work out for the best.

"Well Naruto, we don't need things like that. But, let us continue towards the swamp. An adventure is awaiting us!" Karell said, pointing in the direction of the swamp. Then he pulled out the map, and then told us "Well, there is a town before the swamp, we can camp there for a day. Afterwards, there is a 'Frigenkle Village' on the other side of the swamp. We can rest there after the swamp."

"Why not continue on past the village, it shouldn't take that long to get through the swamp if we rest the day before, right?" Hokara asked, and I think I heard a small sliver of panic in her voice. Probably just my imagination.

"Well, we are going through a swamp that tests us physically and mentally, I think that we should rest afterwards." Karell said, rolling up the map, and walking forward and taking the lead.

"I don't really care what we do." I told them, following Karell's lead. "So long as you don't get us killed." I told him, walking at his pace right behind him.

"With what he is doing, I might as well be dead." Hokara muttered.

"Any why would that be?" Karell asked her, not bothering to look behind him. For a guy who ran away a while ago, he seems to be doing just fine right now.

"None of your concern." She told him with a piercing gaze.

"Well, if I don't need to know about it, keep your opinions to yourself." Karell told her off handedly. He probably wouldn't be saying that if he saw the death glare she was giving him.

"Well, don't kill each other, and let us go on. I would like to get to the village before some horrible accident befalls one of you two." I told them, making sure they knew the 'accident' would probably be caused by their companion.

Both of them stopped and gave me a queer look. "Never mind." I told them, sighing out loud. If they couldn't see the small amount of animosity, there wasn't any need for me to point it out to them. "Karell, about how long will it take us to reach the next town or village?" I asked him, trying to find something to think about.

"Oh, I would say it will take us about three hours, depends on the kind of trouble we run into." He told me, walking ahead as though he didn't have a care in the world. It wouldn't surprise me if he didn't.

I looked over at Hokara, and she seemed to be brooding over something. Every once in a while, her face would turn slightly red, and then revert back to her normal color. However, most of the time her face held a serious look, as though she were contemplating over something. One time, she even looked at me, but then her head went down again, back into her brooding stage. Well, this was going to be another boring trip. Nothing to do but think about what is going on, and what will happen.

'You could always talk to me.' Prelait thought to me.

'Well, it is better than nothing I suppose.' I thought to her.

'Well, don't you know how to be nice? What is wrong with talking to me anyways? I swear, you are the most ungrateful people I know of.' She thought to me. 'Then again, I suppose it would be considered one of your few charms.' She thought a little later, uneasily, as though something was bothering her.

'Few charms? I'll be surprised if I have any. Anyways, why do you even care? It's not like it would help you any if that happened. Anyways, why do you sound a little worried? It is not like to you to sound like that.' I thought to her.

'Well kit, I sense a powerful presence nearby, and if I am correct, it is the ruler of the Netherworld.' Prelait though to me.

'Ruler of the Netherworld? Who would that be?' I asked her, starting to feel a little edgy. As an afterthought, I thought 'And why would he be on this planet?'

'Well kit, first off, don't even think of fighting him. I'm the most powerful demon on this planet, however, he is the strongest demon ever. If I went to the netherworld, I would be considered an upper demon, but nowhere near his level. Second thing, he likes to divulge in his share of pleasures as well. Not flesh mind you, he doesn't really appreciate that. However, he does enjoy a good meal, and sometimes gambling. But, mostly he comes up to kill people who piss him off. Those would be the people in the world who sign a contract with him, and don't fulfill their end of the contract.' She thought to me.

'So, the people who made a deal with the devil? Do you know what he looks at, and what are the odds of me beating him?' I asked her, feeling a small adrenaline rush pump through me.

'Well kit, I don't know what he looks like. I would be able to recognize him by the aura he emits. As for beating him, I he had a bad day, was drunk, and already beat up, and I was fully rested, sober, and at my best, there is still a pretty high chance of him winning. Even if you win, he wouldn't like it. He has some sense of a fair fight; however, he has lost one fight.' She thought to me.

'Really? Then why is the guy still in power? If I beat him, he would be forced to relinquish me his powers wouldn't he?' I asked her.

'Well kit, usually it works like that. However, the last set of people who beat, kind of pissed him off because he lost. So, he blew up their planet.' She thought to me.

'You are joking right? He lost, so he blew up their planet? If he could do that, why didn't he just do that in the first place?' I asked her, realizing I was slowing down a bit, and increasing my pace to match Hokara and Karell.

'I told you kit, he does believe in a fair fight. However, if he loses, say goodbye to your planet. So, even if you fought him, it would be better if you lost. At least then there is a chance of you staying alive.' Prelait thought to me.

'Well, remind me never to piss the guy off. Anyways, why do you think he is on the planet for this time?' I asked her.

'Well, because it isn't night time, I am guessing he has come to collect payment for one of the deals people have made with him. Kit, don't make a deal with this guy unless you have to. He doesn't take your soul; however, his fee is different with each person. As for you, I have no idea what he would require you give him. Also, if you do meet him, try to get on decent terms with him. After all, the Netherworld is where every soul goes when it dies, and depending on how you are judged, you either stay there, or go to a better place. It would be a good idea to get on good terms with him, but avoid him at all costs, only try to befriend him if you actually meet him.' Prelait thought to me.

'Well, if this guy is close, I'll try to avoid him. However, knowing Karell, he would try to fight him anyways. Well, I'm done talking to you.' I thought to Prelait, worrying about the current problem.

'Fine kit, be that way! However, don't come crying to me for help later on, I'm probably going to be in a bad mood.' Then, she did something I didn't think she could do. I heard her goose-step back into the back of my mind.

Well, that was a little odd. So, the ruler of the Netherworld is on this planet, and in fact close to us? I wonder what he looks like. Oh well, I should probably avoid him at all costs. Then again, I know my luck as well. Ah Hell, we are so screwed.

(A couple hours later)

"Good new people, I see the village!" Karell said to us. The first bit of conversation I have heard since talking to Prelait.

"Good, we need to re-supply." Hokara said, seeming to be out of her small trance.

"Well, we are also going to sleep here. What we need is a nice place tonight." I told them, still a little worried. I'm happy we made it this far, but where is the Netherworld king? He might be farther off than I thought.

We walked into the town, and the people seemed a little scared. They kept giving everyone disturbing glances, and then they looked at them again in relief, and then disturbed again. "Blue, get the food. Karell, get a room. I'll look around and scout out the area." I told them.

"All right Naruto, but don't be too long. I don't want to worry about you." Karell said, and then as an after thought he said "The same goes for you as well Hokara. Don't be too long, we should set out early tomorrow."

We went our separate directions, and did our own jobs. When I think about it, it would have been nice to learn where the hotel we would be staying at would be. Well, I need to cover a lot of ground, and quickly. Kage Bunshin time. I made three other clones, in an alleyway so I wouldn't alert anyone. "All right, we need to find out information about this place. Look around, report back in fifteen minutes, get some information out of people." I told my clones. They told me they would, and we split up.

I ran into a man in a red sweater, and blue pants. "Excuse me sir, would you tell me why everyone is so uptight?" I asked him.

He turned towards me, and just stared at me, as though he could see past me. Then he went back to whatever he was doing, and just walked away. That was a little strange. Well, here comes a woman in a nice white blouse and a bright yellow skirt with white flowers on it. "Excuse me, can you tell me what is going on here?" I asked her, a warm smile on my face.

She just gave me a shacked expression, as though my very speaking was about to summon forth a horrible monstrosity to devour her. Then she turned around, and fled from where she stood. Ok, something is wrong about this place. I'm not even going to bother asking someone else; I think I know the basic reaction I would get for doing that. I went back to the alley I said to meet my close, and I only had to wait about a minute before they came back. They had the same results I did. This place is starting to freak me out.

I went around, took me an hour to find the hotel Karell arranged our room in. "Geez Naruto, finally, someone to talk to. These people remind me a little ofBlue, minus the fact that she talks every once in a while. That, and she isn't this scared. The desk clerk showed me what to do with hand signal, HAND SIGNALS!" He said, showing his hand as an example. "And even then, she looked at her hand as though it should be cut off. This place is freaky; we are leaving first thing in the morning, no ifs, ands, or buts." He told me, in a semi angry voice.

Hokara came in about half an hour later, with food and supplies. "I didn't pay a cent for them." She told us, which caused me to fall over onto my face, trying to balance on walls for training and hearing shocking information isn't good for you, and Karell stared at her Bug-eyed.

"Isn't that illegal?" Karell asked her, still a little shocked.

"Well, no one tried to stop me, no one even yelled at me." Hokara told us.

Karell looked at me, and I looked at Karell. We had the same thought: We are getting out of here fast. "Blue, we are leaving before sun up." I said to Hokara, lying down on the bed.

"Why are we leaving so early?" She asked us, a little surprised by what I have said.

"This place freaks me out; we are getting out of here as soon as possible." I told her, closing my eyes. I fell asleep light a log, and had dreams of people just staring at me, refusing to talk, and refusing to do anything else but stare. It was worse than my nightmares of the people of Konoha, who hated and ridiculed me. At least they didn't look half dead.

I woke up; my bed was very wet all over from my sweat. I woke up the other two, who awoke without disturbing anything. We packed up, and left as fast as we could. We exited the village, and then started to head towards the swamp. The swamp seemed like a better place, I think even death would be better. It wouldn't seem like a bunch of lifeless people.

We exited the gate, and got about one hundred feet from the gate, when suddenly I felt a massive amount of energy flux into existence, back where the village was. I whipped around as fast as I could, and saw a strange green portal. It opened up on top of the gate, and then I felt an even stronger presence step through it. It closed, and I saw…a teenage boy?

Yeah, he looks like he is twelve or thirteen. He has on a strange red cape, and he has hair has the same color of Hinatas. That is the only color it seems to be anyways. He wasn't wearing a shirt, and only had on a pair of red shorts. He has pointy ears as well, and he is holding some sort of sword. It appears to be a handle, but this weird column of light is emitting from it, about as thick as my body, and looks like it is emitting extreme heat.

"Foolish humans, come out, and pay up." He said, his voice booming across the environment.

'Kit, that is the ruler of the Netherworld! Get the Hell out of there!' Prelait screamed through my mind.

'Are you insane? He looks only about twelve or thirteen! Wait, can he change his appearance?' I asked her.

'Kit, no he can't. He focused on power, ignoring the small things like changing your appearance. However, he is deadly.' Prelait thought to me.

"We will never pay that kind of price!" I heard a male villager yell out.

"Do all of you agree on this?" He asked them, his voice still booming across the wilderness. Something about this guy gave the impression of an imperial background, I felt a little like I should get on my hands and knees and worship this guy.

"We all do, taking our children as slaves is too high of a price for us to pay!" A woman yelled out this time.

Then, the demon on the gate let out a small laugh. Then, it got louder. Finally, it ended in a maniacal laugh, sounding as though the guy was going insane. Suddenly, he stopped. "Very well you foolish humans! Since you won't pay up, I'm going to slaughter every last one of you!" I cried out, and then jumped high into the air. I followed him, until he disappeared from my sight, and I couldn't see him anymore. Damn it, is he planning on destroying the planet?

Then, I saw a small yellow light starting to come from the sky. It started to get bigger, and even bigger. Then I saw him. All of him. He did look about twelve or thirteen, wasn't wearing a shirt, and had on a pair of red shorts. His red cape was billowing behind him, and he had a cruel grin on his face, except he had fangs in his mouth. I saw a pair of small, but night black wings on his back, didn't look like it could hold his weight if he tried using them to fly. He also had blood red piercing red eyes. His eyes weren't even looking at me, but I know he sees me. It was a cold feeling, like death descending on me. That and he was riding a meteor, right into the direction of the village. "This is what you get for defying me!" He cried out, and then started to laugh like a maniac.

The meteor slammed into the village, sending dust everywhere, and the shockwave the meteor emitted even threw me off balance. I fell to the ground, and didn't even try to stand up again. The dust cleared, and he was sitting on top of the meteor, looking at us. He pointed a finger at me, and then a green portal appeared behind him. He stood up, and looked at us one last time, gave us an evil smirk, and then stepped through the green portal, and I felt his presence disappear. I looked at the meteor, and realized that it had destroyed the entire town, and even went a good twelve feet into the ground. No chance of anyone in the village surviving.

Was that why they were scared? They knew he was coming, and they probably knew they were going to die. Wow, I never want to piss that guy off. "Blue, Karell…" I said in a small voice. They looked at me, and had the same look in their eyes: What would have happened if we hadn't left the village that early in the morning?

General Badaxe- Well that ends this chapter. Sorry it took so long to update, what with school, and everything else going on. By the way, the ruler of the Netherworld is actually one of my favorite made up characters ever, guess who it is. Also, I don't expect this fic to get that popular until I get the words near 100k. It happened with 'Caged Fox' and I expect it to happen with this one. People don't seem to trust my writing skills until I do get near that number. Maybe it's because I don't like being too cliché. Oh well, until I update again, see you later. Oh yeah, while I'm still a little ticked: Fuck you Conneaut High School!


	5. Chapter 5

General Badaxe- Well, here we are again. Updating time, letting all the inner turmoil's I have onto paper and passing it off as a story. For everyone who guessed that it was Laharl, you are correct. However, this isn't a crossover, I haven't decided if he will make a couple more cameo appearances. He might, I haven't decided yet. Dobe-Teme, thanks for pointing out my mistakes. I fixed that so that new readers wouldn't get a little confused. However, I would like to point out that I am very happy I am not your kid. If you would give up your firstborn just o you would live, well, let's just say that I don't think like that and leave it at that. No point in arguing with a reviewer. BooTheGhost, yes I live in Conneaut, Ohio. I just wish there were fewer idiots in this place; maybe I wouldn't hate people as much. But, idiots sprout up wherever I go, so I'll just stick to my stereotypical view of people are idiots. Anyways, on with the fic!

It smelled of ashes. It could be the fire we set up to cook breakfast, the burnt tree we passed along the way (Why it was burnt, I don't know.) or it could be the charcoaled village that was devastated by a meteor by our own eyes a couple days ago. Either way, I didn't like it. I think the other two noticed. How they noticed, it could have been the disapproving look in my eyes, the way I kept grumbling, or the way I held my nose and shook my head from side to side, I couldn't figure out. To those of you who couldn't figure it out, I was being sarcastic at that last part. If you couldn't figure it out you are pretty hopeless.

We were going into the swamp today, after putting it off for two days. Mostly, Karell was making us stay hoping that that really powerful demon would come back. He wouldn't admit it, but he wouldn't stop going back into the village. So, I assumed he was looking for a fight. Why he would want to fight a meteor riding crazy psycho Goth is beyond me, but to each his own I guess.

Hokara has been biting her lip recently, and she keeps staring at the direction of the swamp. I don't want to enter the swamp, it keeps giving me a foreboding sense, as though creatures in there are asking me to enter so that they can rip the flesh off of my bones, and then urinate all over my corpse. Honestly, with my life, wouldn't be surprised if that is what they really wanted to do.

Recently, we are barely talking to each other. Hokara seems too worried about something she wouldn't tell me about, I haven't felt the safest since I saw the ruler of the Netherworld, and Hokara and I don't want to talk to Karell because of his own stupidity. If there is one thing he lacks, it is common sense. Well, He doesn't exactly lack common sense or he would be dead right now because of his profession. I just don't think he applies common sense outside of a life threatening situation. Although, by doing that, technically you are making your entire life some sort of life threatening situation. If I keep thinking about this I am going to hurt my brain.

However, we all agreed that we would take off today. Hokara also seems more on edge than ever. Whether it is because we are entering the Swamp, or something else, I haven't figured it out yet. I am also starting to get doubts myself. Only a ten percent chance of living, tack on that there are only three of us and things don't look that good. Also, what kind of people tried to travel through it? High ranking ninja or travelers? If it is the travelers, then we stand a pretty good chance, I think. However, if it was the high ranking ninjas, well, I don't really want to think about what will happen.

Then again, I wouldn't put it past Karell to exaggerate to make things sound more dramatic than they are. But, I guess there is only one way to find out if we are going to survive the swamp: Actually go through it. Well, at times like this, I really wish that I had written my will. Then again, I don't have anything to give away, or anyone to give it to. So, I suppose it would be a moot point.

'Kit, can't you even leave something in your will for me?' Prelait asked me, sounding a little offended.

'What do I have that you would want?' I asked her, a little confused.

'For starters, my freedom.' She told me, and I think I heard her tapping her foot.

'What? Prelait, don't you already have your freedom? With the seal destroyed, nothing is stopping you from leaving me whenever you want, except your own personally guilt.' I told her, wondering what was wrong with her.

'I know kit, but it sounds so much better knowing you granted me freedom, instead of me just taking it. Gives me a little pride.' She thought to me.

'Has anyone ever told you that you have some issues that you need to work out? However, if it makes you feel better, Prelait, in case I am about to, or I do die, I grant you your own freedom. Ok, that sounded a little retarded to me, but whatever.' I thought that last part a little bitterly.

I swear, someone gave Prelait sugar or something when I wasn't looking. How could I tell? The fact that she was jumping up and down in my mind, and yelling out 'Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!' Over and over again, as though I had given her some sort of rare gem. It was starting to freak me out a little bit.

"Naruto, are you ok? You seem to be a little unfocused on your current surroundings. You also have a displeased face masking you, are you ok?" I heard Hokara ask me. It was nice to know that she was worried about me, but she could stand to use better words. Specifically, words that didn't take me a couple minutes to figure out.

"Blue, I am fine. It just feels like someone is throwing some sort of loud party in my head, and doesn't want to shut up." I muttered out loud, feeling the front of my forehead. I was going to talk to Prelait later on why she shouldn't have parties inside of my head. It was one way to get a headache, ground rules for living inside of me had to be placed. How I was going to enforce them to a demon who could probably kill me with both hands, or paws if she transformed, behind her back is beyond me.

"Well Naruto, maybe you should take it easy for a little bit." Hokara said, with a small smile. Then her smile faded, and her cheeks turned a little red, and then she said "Um, what I meant to say was-"

"I GIVE UP!" I hear a loud, unmistakable, voice yell out across the small plains. I looked over, and saw Karell striding across the smooth grass, kicking up a little bit as he was striding across the field with a ticked off look on his face. I looked back at Hokara, she looked a little angry, but also sad, as though she had missed some sort of opportunity. Oh well, I would inquire about it later.

"And just what is your problem?" I asked him, a little irritated that he had to scream across the field. Destroying the small amount of peace I get in this group isn't something I like that much, mostly because I was the one disturbing the piece while I was acting like an idiot.

"I will tell you the problem!" He screamed at me, growing very red in face. Not red, as in hot. Red as though 'I am going to stab the next thing that even annoys me' red. Don't make fun of him till he cools down, memo to self.

"Well then, calm down and explain it in your cooled state." I heard Hokara tell him. It sounded like she was speaking through gritted teeth. She was a little angry as well, I was guessing. Second memo to self; don't tick her off till she seems stable. Well, it will be hard to tell when se is stable.

Karell stood rigid, and looked like he was about to attack Hokara. Then, he drew in a deep breath and closed his eyes. Then I saw the breath escape his lips, and then his eyes opened and he looked a lot calmer. "Well, I wanted to fight that powerful kid in a sword fight. Just a sword fight mind you, he doesn't need to ride any meteors into me! However, he was holding a sword; I wanted to test his skills." Karell told us, as though it was a natural thing to do.

I looked over at Hokara, and she looked at me. "Blue, is he mad, insane, or someone we need to get rid of?" I asked her, wondering where this guy goes for fun. The scars on his face are a good thing in helping me guess. Well, third memo to self: Don't have fun the way Karell does, liable way to die.

"All three." Hokara said, having a weird look in her eyes. I couldn't identify it, and it was starting to make me check over every face I have ever seen. Not one had that look on their face before. "Maybe we should get rid of him." She said, and the look in her eyes became even stranger. A distant feeling in the back of my head warned me that getting rid of him would be one of the stupidest things I could do. Mostly because of the look in her eyes, but a smaller part warned me that his speed would come in handy. I was a little more worried about being alone with Hokara though, something in her eyes really scares me.

I took in a deep breath, and let it all out in one giant sigh. Another scary part was that some small part of me wanted to get rid of Karell. Why I wanted to get rid of him against all logic inside of me was a mystery. "Blue, as much as I hate to admit it, we do need him. He is faster than both of us; he is older and has more experience in the world, and he is more intimidating than us. The fact that he has all those scars makes people know he has been in lots of fights and came out on top. Keeps idiots away from us. At least, I hope it keeps idiots away from us." I told her.

"You know, I loath it when you are correct with your theories." Hokara sighed out, sounding truly disappointed that logic is the reason that we are keeping him.

"So what, am I only some sort of idiot repellent for you two?" Karell asked us, sounding slightly irritated at the way I said it.

"Well, we aren't keeping you around for your conversation skills." I told him, poking some fun at him. It was nice to joke around sometimes, even with people you think will one day get you killed.

"Say that next time I have first watch, and you might not be waking up." He told us with a bitter resignation on his face, taking the lead as usual. Looks like our small trek into Dead Man's Swamp was underway. I just hope that we don't lose our lives in this small escapade. I still don't know why I let the guy lead us around, but it is better than being the leader myself I suppose. Looks a little too stressful, and I am not good with other people, I mean, I did ruin my own life. Who in their right mind would trust me? Don't answer that, I don't need to hear it.

We were walking to the swamp, and a couple things tipped me off that we were getting closer. I found fewer and fewer animals, the foreboding feeling in my gut was getting stronger, and the fact that Karell slipped twice in murky water was a big help in me deciphering this. Guess which one was the biggest hint.

"Damn it, not again!" Karell screamed out, as his legs suddenly appeared where his head was supposed to be, and his back was in the dirt again. Make that three times. Nothing like someone else to be slapstick comedy.

"You know, for being a pretty good swordsman, who can run a heck of a lot faster than my eyes can keep up with, you are horrible with balance." I told him, staring at his downed for, as he shoved himself back onto his feet. The back of his shirt was coated in mud, and some dark liquid I couldn't identify. Something told me I didn't want to find out what it was.

"Shut up." He told me, as he stood firmly. He brushed off the small amount of mud that appeared on his front that splashed on top of him. "I swear, next town we hit, I am going to work on balance for a while." I heard him grumbling to himself. He wasn't trying very hard to stay quiet though, so I don't think he was trying to hide it. As an after thought, he said "Also, I am taking a shower; anyone that wants it first WILL have to fight me to the death for it." He said, emphasizing the 'will' part.

I looked over at Hokara, and she was trying hard not to laugh. Merriment twinkled in her eyes, and she was hiding a smirk. I swear, the only times she smiles is when something bad happens to Karell. Well, sometimes she smiles and laughs when something bad happens to me. Well, back to the more important thing, the swamp.

We now saw the swamp. I am seriously questioning if we are sane. There area couple of reasons I am questioning our sanity. One, we have a guy who doesn't apply common sense to his thinking leading us around. Two, the swamp looked intimidating. It had dead trees looming over what looked like a gate made of deadwood. I saw a couple puddles of water, they were dark and murky, and I think I saw something moving inside of one of the puddles. I saw a shadow dart across from tree to tree, but I know it was looking at us, me in particular. Why it was eyeing me, I don't know, but something told me I was going to get a real close encounter with it soon. That, and in a cliché like fashion, lightning and thunder was crackling and flashing above the forest. However, it wasn't happening outside of the bounds of the forest. Final reason, there were two human skeletons ganging from the tree, all the bones were bent in a way I didn't think was possible, they had ninja gear and fore head protectors on. Than, and with what I presume is their blood, were big bold red and brown lettering on the trees that says "DO NOT ENTER!"

"Are we going to investigate the premises?" I heard Hokara ask, her voice a little scared at the deadly forest looming over us. I couldn't exactly blame her, seeing as fear was surging through every fiber of my being.

"Of course we are! This looks like it is going to be a lot of fun, doesn't it?!" Karell exclaimed in an exuberant voice, his eyes shining, and gripping the hilt of his katana to the point that it is turning his knuckled whiter than they usually were. Yeah, I was letting some sort of insane guy lead me around the place. Someone check my brain to see if it is ok. Or, check if it is in suicide mode, one of the two.

"I can't believe that we are listening to the retarded part of our minds." I said out loud, eyeing the forest. I was starting to think that Karell wasn't exaggerating about his ten percent estimate. Something about this forest, not just the appearance mind you, scared me. Some primal instinct told me to stay out of it. "You know what guys, I think I will take the long, and safe, way around this thing." I told them, starting to walk down the sides.

Suddenly, something with an iron hard grip tightened around my left arm. I don't know exactly what happened next, I think someone flipped me over their side, back, or shoulder, but suddenly I was sent flying. Right in the direction of the forest. Needless to say, I smacked right into a branch, snapped it, and landed in some sort of water. As I stood up, I felt some of the water had attached itself to my clothing. I saw the world spin for a couple seconds, before I shook my head, and cleared up my vision. I was guessing that Hokara doesn't exactly know many combat moves, especially grapples, so only one person came to mind when I thought of who to yell at.

"Karell, if you EVER throw me against my will again, someone is going to have their katana shoved so far up their ass, that it is poking out of their mouth, DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?!" I screamed at him. I was taking small huffs of breath afterwards, and I was still pretty ticked off. I don't enjoy being thrown into a swamp where I might die.

"Um, Naruto? I didn't throw you into the swamp. In fact, I was thrown in before you were. Want to know how I know?" He asked me, and he sounded very close, but somewhat muffled.

"How do you know you were thrown in here first?" I asked, looking around. I had no idea where he was.

"Simple. You are on top of me, now GET OFF OF ME!" He screamed, and suddenly, I was thrown up, and back into the puddles, and I noticed I sank a lot deeper than last time. So, I was on top of something last time, no wonder I didn't sink as deep as I thought swamp water would be. However, the fact that when I stand it is up to my chest, well, that indicates that getting in the swamp was a pretty stupid idea. I was definitely considering fighting Karell to the death for the shower.

I looked over at Karell. He was covered from head to toe in the dark murky gunk that was surrounding us. "Well, how do I say it?" I ask, rubbing the back of my head. "Karell, sorry for yelling at you. However, what threw us in here then?" I asked him.

"I don't know, all I do know, is that I have no idea where we are, the entrance seems to have disappeared." He said, and I noticed the same thing. We were surrounded by dead trees, the strange water, and darkness, with barely any light being filtered inside of the place. "Wait, where is Blue?" Karell asked me, looking around the area.

I started to look around as well, and I did notice the absence of our companion. Shit. "Blue, are you around here?!" I hollered out, cupping my hands around my mouth to amplify the sound as it came out.

"I'm up here." She said, in the trees above us, unless she somehow learned how to fly. I don't think she can fly, so I was betting on the trees. I looked up, and sure enough, there she was sitting in one of the trees looking down at us. "You know, for superior technique and combat training; you sure aren't adept at using it to your advantage." She told us.

"Care to explain in a way we can understand it?" Karell asked her, trying to climb the tree to get up to where Hokara was. The only thing stopping him from climbing the tree was the watery gunk on the trunks, which were making him slip.

"Well, why didn't you use you reflexes to grab onto the branch and flip yourself onto the tree?" Hokara asked again, a small disapproving look on her face. If this was because of our lack of reflexes, or because Karell has a hard time understanding big words, I don't know.

"Well, I sort of had a problem with doing that." I told her, charging chakra into the bottom of my feet, so I can climb the tree. "I sort of was flung BACKWARDS into the tree branch, so I sort of couldn't react." I told her, grabbing Karell on the back of his shirt, and lifting him up to drag him up the tree with me. He was pretty light, it would explain a little bit as to why he was so fast. With such light weight, it probably wasn't that hard to gain speed.

"Karell, you are very light, would you please explain that to me?" I asked him, as we stepped onto the branch of the tree, about the same level Hokara was, and dropped Karell onto the branch.

"What do you mean?" He asked me, rubbing his butt where I had dropped him, and then he tried to brush off the weird water with his hands, it didn't seem to help him much.

"How are you still so light?!" I asked him, throwing my hands down in front of me. "I have seen how much you ea, more than Blue and I could ever hope to eat combined. How on Earth do you still weigh about as much as a feather?!" Maybe I was a little jealous, that is about the only reason I can find myself getting worked up over such a trivial matter.

"Well Naruto, my metabolism is one of the fastest you will find around the world." He told me, pulling his katana out of his sheathe. I think he was examining it for the water, I think he values the sword more than his own life. "Also, the metabolism is a bad thing." He told me, putting the katana back in his sheathe, apparently satisfied that it was still clean, except at the hilt. "Most people can go seven days without d. I can go five, at most six days before I keel over and die. People need water every three days or they die, I can go two days before it kills me. Fast metabolisms really suck." He told me, throwing his hair out of the front of his face, leaving some streak marks that the hair left. Made him look a bit like an idiot, well, more idiotic than he usually looked anyways.

"Right, thanks for the small lesson on your chemistry. I never asked for it, but thanks anyway." I said with bitter sarcasm. "Next question, what threw us around like we were rag dolls?" I asked. Hokara, and Karell, both shook their heads, telling me that they didn't know what had thrown us. I also wanted to now what happened to the entrance, but I was willing to bet that they didn't know the answer to that either. No point in asking them.

"Which way did we come from?" I asked next. I didn't want to go in a direction that would take us to the other side, or right down the center through the entire swamp. I just wanted out. I also think something in the dark water molested me a little bit, not something that I enjoy thinking about.

Both of them looked around in a confused fashion, and then they both shook their heads. Damn it, I don't want to be in this place. That foreboding feeling has turned into a creature of despair twisting around in my stomach. I don't like the feeling at all, as though something is trying to claw out of my flesh because I am restricting its freedom. "Well, we are screwed." I said, having my head go limp, having my neck barely support it enough to keep it from snapping.

"Should we just choose a direction, and hope for the best?" Karell asked us, turning his head a lot slower this time as though he could find the entrance by being extra cautious. I was hoping that he would, but I had my doubts. After all, this is Karell we are talking about.

"Well, unless one of you can suggest some superior thought toward our current predicament, I would assume that that would be the best course of action to take." Hokara told us, eyeing the murky water that was below us. "If that is our course of action, I would like to suggest that we avoid any hazardous areas such as the murky waters below our current location."

Karell got a confused look on his face. "She means, yes, but we should avoid the water." I told him, looking around. I still didn't like this place; something inside of me hated it.

'Kit?' I heard Prelait ask me.

'What is it? I kind of don't have time for this right now. We are currently in quite a tough situation.' I thought to her, trying to decide which way we should go on our merry little quest.

'Well kit, I just want to know, what are you doing in this place?' She asked me, as though she had missed our past couple of events.

'Are you telling me that you don't know where we are? We have only been discussing it for the past couple of days.' I thought to her, and Karell indicated a direction. I suppose it is as good as any we can take. I started following them, letting my body take over as my mind was talking to Prelait.

'Well kit, I sort of fell asleep after we saw the King.' I didn't need to think about who she was talking about, it was pretty clear in my mind. 'So, I have missed the past couple of days. I thought we were going to 'Dead Man's Swamp.' She thought to me, in a worried tone. If she was worried, I had a right to be scared, at least in my opinion.

'Prelait, we ARE in 'Dead Man's Swamp.' What place do you think it is?' I asked her, slightly scared that she would tell me something far worse about this place than I wanted to know. I had a feeling that was exactly what she was going to tell me.

'Well kit, besides the fact that young demoness come here to wish for power and good luck, and that there is a high chance of meeting one, not that much of a problem.' Prelait thought to me, something in her thoughts reminiscing about her past.

'Prelait, did you come to this place?' I asked her, a little curious about her past.

'Why kit, of course I did. There is another place for male demons, but I think it is some sort of volcano or something like that. Anyways, we chose the swamp because it is dark and mysterious, powerful if you venture too deep, able to kill without any warning, and holds so many unknown corpses, that female demons are drawn to the power.' Prelait thought to me.

'Well, thanks for the history lessons in demonology, but I just wanted to know if you came here, and if you would attribute it to your power.' I thought to her, wondering how she got so far off track.

'Well kit, I don't know if this place has helped me gain power or not, but I do know that I have become powerful. To me, that is all that matters. However, you might want to be careful in here.' She thought to me, a little giddily.

'Why should I be careful?' I asked her.

'Well kit, take into mind that usually it is female demons that come here. So, being male, you will probably be killed by death to slow torture. Not very pretty, but any male found in here, that happens to them. Or, you can take the challenge. Whatever your choice, don't get caught here.' She thought to me.

'Ok, what exactly is the challenge?' I asked her. I might as well get all the facts, just in case we do get captured.

'Well kit, I'm not exactly sure. The one male we caught when I was in here, decided that death by slow torture was more appealing than whatever the challenge was. So, I don't know. Well, good luck and don't die!' She thought to me cheerily.

'We haven't been captured yet, we should be ok.' I thought to her, trying to be an optimist for once in my life.

'Well kit, besides the fact that I sense a demonic signature close by, and coming a lot closer, in your direction, and changing trajectory as you do, well, I think that she, well, I assume is 'she' is tracking you. Either pick up the pace, or prepare for a throw down.' Prelait thought to me. I could just imagine her being at a party, with the way that she said that.

Well, my moment of being an optimist is over, I am back to being a pessimist. "Guys, we should pick up the pace." I told them, looking around us. I felt a presence about us suddenly, as though something close to kin was nearby, not blood kin mind you, but something I was familiar with, the feeling was unmistakable. I felt it, it made my blood stir, and anticipation started to build in me. Was I looking forward to a fight, against a demon?! Female or not, a demon is a demon, and I have one the most powerful inside of me. I know that women can be pretty powerful themselves. Still though, why anticipation? Something is wrong with me; I need to be checked out in a mental home at some point.

"Why should we increase our pace?" Karell asked us, looking backwards, and almost hitting a tree branch because of it. I almost think he should have been hit, he would have deserved it.

"How do I explain it?" I asked them. I was seriously wondering this myself. "Well guys, let's just say that I have a feeling that we should get out of here." I told them. Then, as it hit me, I thought "Also, it is taking way too long for this to be the way to the entrance we came from." I told them.

"Naruto, we have been taking this trail for at least an hour, I would think you would have noticed that by now. As for your feeling, suck it up. We have been going at this pace for a while, and I am starting to get tired." Karell told me, quite bitterly at that.

Have we really been traveling that long? Great, now I have to wonder when I lost track of time. As for us stopping, that was the last thing on my mind. The presence I felt earlier was getting stronger, so I assume that that means that it is getting closer. Well, I suppose it would be 'She' is getting closer.

I checked my supplies, about thirty shuriken, ten kunai, some steel wire, and I had a couple hundred feet of rope. I got the rope when I thought it might come in handy for interrogating others. What I will do with it now is beyond me, but I might find a use for it. Maybe set up a small trap pit or something.

"All right, we are taking a small break." I heard Karell say, stopping in front of us, and forcing the rest of us to stop. Why not just tell us that we are suicidal, let's stop for now?! Well, he probably doesn't know about the demon trailing us either, so it doesn't really matter. Let me rephrase that, it matters, he just doesn't know about it.

"How long will this break be?" I asked him, feeling very impatient, and I was growing a little paranoid. For the record, if you knew a demon, no matter what kind or gender, was stalking your group, you would probably want to get out of there as fast as you could as well.

"Naruto, why are you being so impatient? It is just a small break, we should be fine." Karell told me, pulling the small pack off of his back, and then twisting his body so that his back was leaning against the tree. The bag was in front of him, and he was bent over panting as sweat was running down his clothes, darkening them.

Hokara was leaning against the tree in a similar fashion, except that she was kneeling, with her hands against her legs supporting her from falling. Sweat was falling off of her as well, except it didn't go to her clothes, it tended to run through her hair, and fall off the end into the swamps dark waters.

"Why am I being impatient?" I asked out loud, a little like an idiot in my opinion. I also noticed that sweat was forming on my face as well, this precipitation wasn't forming out of me being worn out, it was the cold sweat of fear. "I'll tell you why I am impatient. We have someone or something following us, not something I enjoy to think about in this swamp. I don't trust this place; I get a horrible feeling entering it. However, who or whatever is following us, probably doesn't intend to be inviting us to dinner or something. We should leave, now, before it catches up to us." I told them, still looking around, almost too fast for me to get a good look at our current surroundings.

"Naruto, if you new about the current threat to our well being, why didn't you make your concerns vocalized earlier?" Hokara asked me, getting up immediately, eyes scanning the current place along with mine, picking up the bag she had dropped in front of her.

"Well, I didn't think we were going to stop." I said in my defense. I pulled out a kunai; the demonic feeling was stronger than ever, as though the demon was on top of us. It wasn't getting any stronger, but staying the same, as though it was observing us. Fear clenched my gut in a never ending torrent; sweat fell down my face like I was a dam about to shatter into a thousand pieces, and my eyes felt like they were about to cry, I haven't really closed them since I got the feeling. I haven't felt it was safe enough.

Karell was standing up as well, his fist was clenched around his hilt, as though his life depended on it, the knuckles turning a pale white. "Naruto, about how far back did you sense the presence of the stalker?" he asked, eying his surroundings as well.

"I would say about an hour." I told him, pulling out a second kunai for my other hand. I didn't feel exactly safe, but the second kunai gave me a little confidence in what I was doing. It may have been false confidence, but I felt a little better about it.

Suddenly, in the eerie silence of the swamp, something broke the sound, with the thunderous racket of two cymbals colliding. It was the sound of a branch snapping. The sound came from directly above Karell. Karell didn't even look up, he jumped about half a foot into the air, and slammed his feet into the tree, making it fall over, and he propelled himself onto another tree, and I saw a blur of fiery red and glistening gold pass him.

The creature slammed into the tree, and bounded after Karell. He whipped out his katana, and slashed at the object, but it evaded the slash, but missed Karell. It hit the tree he was standing on, and then propelled itself at Hokara. I still couldn't make out whom or what was attacking us. Suddenly, a brilliant blue energy erupted from Hokara, and shot itself at the creature. Suddenly, the creature plummeted downwards; it had hit itself off of a branch above it.

The blur slammed into another tree branch, and changed course completely. Right at me. Ah crap, why is this happening to me? The creature slammed directly into my chest, I don't have the kind of speed you would need to dodge it. However, I could take a lot, so I would use that to my advantage. I grabbed the arms of the creature that slammed into me, as I teetered off balance. I landed on the branch, the creature on top of me. Suddenly, I regret grabbing the creature like this. Why did I regret this? Well, the demons in this place are all female. Let's just say that this was DEFINITELY female.

Whoever this demon was, well, she was well endowed, let's just say that. She had on blood red skin tight shirt, with some golden martial arts pants, barely above her knee. She was wearing a pair of shoes, but they were different from mine. They seemed to be made of leather, and were fit so that there was no extra room, like they were molded exactly to her feet. Something tells me they were. She seemed to me like a cat demon. The fact that she had really thin whiskers, cat ears, and a long slender tail poking out the back of her pants was no indication to me thinking that, by the way. She had a mostly plain face, except for the whiskers jutting out of her face of course, along with pretty small dainty lips, which were in a displeased position right now. She had full magenta eyes glistening down into mine, and she also had red hair sprawling down to her back. Her breasts…well, they were, basically, two grapefruits someone stuck in her shirt. Probably a lot softer than a grapefruit though. Wait, why am I having these thoughts? Damn perverted mind, get out of the gutter would you?!

'Wow kit, I didn't think you had it in you.' I heard Prelait think to me in a shocked tone.

'Didn't have what in me?' I asked her, wondering slightly what Hokara's and Karell's reactions were to this. That and I felt my face becoming a furnace.

'Well kit, you two aren't exactly in the…cleanest, I suppose that is the best word, position in the world. I would separate, and quickly at that.' Prelait thought to me.

Well, I would, except that I was still in a state of shock. It took me a little bit to get my composure back, but I rolled backwards, and used my legs to lift up, and slam the cat demon into the tree behind me.

The cat demon stood up, and then stared at me. I was no longer on my back; I had rolled over pretty quickly and stood up as fast as I could. With the adrenaline hammering my body, it was pretty quickly. I felt Hokara get on a tree branch to my side, and the saw Karell get next to her. He whispered something in her ear, and then she nodded. Then, Karell pulled out his katana, and Hokara summoned her energy around her hands. "I wouldn't do that if I was you two." I heard a voice say, but it wasn't from the cat demon in front of me. It came from my side. Please, not more of them.

Suddenly, some creature rose from the swamp. It was long, and the murky water hanging onto it for dear life was obstructing my view of it. The water fell off a couple seconds later, and showed me the biggest swamp snake I had ever seen. Ok, it was also the first I had seen, but it was still pretty big. It went from the bottom of the swamp water; I was guessing this by the way, all the way to our level, about thirty, thirty five feet. It had black spots running over its body, as well as a thin streak of silver hair that ran from the tip of its head all the way down its long body.

"Excuse me?" I asked, looking the thing over. Then I remembered the cat warrior, or whatever it was, to my side. I whipped around to look at it, and realized that it was on one knee, paying its respects to the weird snake.

'Well, it has been so long since I have had a chance to talk to Anna.' Prelait thought, a bitter sound in her voice.

'Who is Anna? The cat?' I asked Prelait, trying to keep my eyes on both of them. I kept it more towards the snake; it seemed to be the superior being here.

'No, I don't know who the pussy is. Anna is the long overgrown purse that is slithering in front of you.' Prelait thought in a bitter tone.

'I'm guessing that you bear a grudge?' I asked, feeling a little awkward that I might get between a one sided fight with Prelait in my head. It would be very strange.

'Something like that.' Prelait said, a growl in her voice, and I felt some of her power starting to flow into my body. 'Let's just say that I have always wanted to kill her, but I could never find her.'

'Prelait? Could you please STOP putting energy into me? I don't need to start a fight with your power just yet. Let me find out what is going on, then we can kick some ass and take some names.' I thought to her.

I felt the energy recede, and then Prelait thought to me 'kit, you have a couple minutes to find out what is going on, then I want all Hell to break loose on that fat slimy reptile.'

'I'm not going to guarantee anything.' I thought to her.

"I don't care what happens, in this place, we will have all female demons be peaceful in here, do I make myself clear?!" The snake bellowed at us. The snake's voice sounded to me like someone was sliding two pieces of metal together to create the most annoying sound I have ever heard. I seriously wanted to take a steel bar, and keep beating my head against it than listen to that voice again.

The cat creature then stood up suddenly, and the said in a frantic voice "But Mistress Anna, that isn't a female demon! I sensed the energy as well, but it is a male, I am positive." Her voice wasn't annoying at least. "Also, he has two humans with him!"

Well, it was a crime for Hokara and Karell to exist I guess. I could understand Karell, but it wasn't a crime for Hokara to be alive, I think. The snake tilted its head, and then looked at me. "Well I'll be, it is a male. I know there were two humans, but it really is male with a female demonic signature." The snake said, and I really wanted to find a steel bar to rip my face into.

'I'm guessing the female demonic signature is coming from you?' I guessed with a bitter voice.

'Of course it is kit. Just be glad they weren't male demons, they might not have asked questions before trying to take you.' Prelait thought to me.

I had no doubt about what she meant, and let's just say I didn't like the thought of that.

"All right boy, I want you to tell me how you got a female demonic signature, and what you are doing in this swamp." The giant snake told me. Suddenly, I felt a lot more signatures descending around us. Great, more company, just what I need.

"Well, my companions and I were just passing through the swamp so that we could get to the village on the other side so we could recuperate and regain our strength so that we could press on with our adventure." I told the giant snake. "As for the female demon signature, I have no idea what you are talking about, or what kind of 'signature' I have."

Then I felt it, the presence of a bunch of demons. I looked around, and saw about every form of demon imagined. A lot of them weren't easy on the eyes like the cat creature in front of me. Some had tentacles, others had multiple arms, some had multiple arms, legs, others slithered like the snake, others floated around, some had more than two breasts, some only had one, some didn't have eyes, some of them had hair that was alive, others didn't have any hair at all, I even saw a naked succubus. I quickly passed this one. Some of them were downright scary, and others looked about as harmless as a little girl. However, I was willing to bet that all of them were deadly in their own way.

"Sisters!" I heard the giant snake say out loudly. I seriously wanted someone to destroy my ears so that I wouldn't be forced to listen to that highly annoying sound. "We are gathered together to pass judgment on these intruders! The crimes are as following: They have intruded on our land in our most sacred ceremony, gifting our own with power to live and fight!" She said, indicating me and my two companions.

A savage bunch of shouts, growls, chirps, and other assorted noises assaulted me with the end of that claim. 'Funny thing kit, as long as I was around, Anna was never around for these things. I wish that I wasn't one of the stranger female demons; someone needs to knock her on her ass or kill her. Neral, why did you have to get sealed inside of someone the same time I had to be?! You could of knocked over this has been.' Prelait thought out loud in a woeful tone.

'Don't you think that you are carrying this grudge thing a little too far?' I asked her, wanting to rub the back of my head, except it would seem awkward to do it when I am in this situation.

'Kit, imagine the most annoying person in the world, give them a bad attitude, a superiority complex, a nagging voice, and multiply that by three hundred, and you will get Anna.' She thought to me, a severe venomous tone accompanying her thoughts.

"Second!" The giant snake said after all of the jeering died down. "They are humans! How can we tolerate such filth in our lands?!"

Once again, all the demons stated cheering, and hissing in anger. A couple of them even started to shake their fists in my direction. Great, this looks like it is going to become bloody and ugly real quick. Well, a couple attendants here already make it ugly, so I suppose it is going to get bloody real quick.

Silence suddenly filled the area. I was guessing that Anna was about to say our final punishment. "Finally, they are men! How can we allow such disgusting creatures, the lowest of the low, come even close to affiliating with us?! They should be happy that we grace them with our presence! But no, once again they prove themselves the greedy pigs they are! On top of that, one of them dares make himself seem like one of our sisters! The only punishment is death by slow torture! Who is with me?!"

To say they yelled their agreement is an understatement. I had to cover my ears, and even then it felt like someone was pounding some nails into my ear. I had to agree with Prelait, I didn't like this snake. Suddenly, they moved closer, a couple tied up Karell and Hokara so fast they couldn't react. I saw a blue aura appear around Hokara, and knew what was coming. We didn't nee a bloodbath, it wouldn't look good on any job we tried out for. I could see it now 'group seeking jobs, accomplishments: slaughtered an entire forest of demons!' People would either laugh at us, or be too scared of us to hire us.

"HOLD ON BLUE!" I cried out to her, and she looked at me, clearly wanting evidence as to why she should stop. However, at my outburst, everyone in the clearing stopped. Well, this was an embarrassing situation. I coughed once, and then cleared my throat. "Don't we get some sort of challenge to fight for our lives or something?" I asked Anna, hoping this was an easier way out of it.

Anna paused, and looked at me, some sort of weird glint in her eyes. I would say it was…excitement ay best. "Well now, human. That is something I haven't heard in a while. According to tradition, we have to let you fight for your own life. Very well, you will have your challenge. You three need to get together, and pick someone to represent you. We will find one amongst ourselves; you must fight each other to the death. Oh boy, we haven't had a challenge lie this in a while, should be exciting." She said, more to herself than anyone else.

They let Karell and Hokara go, and then they went to a small huddle. We couldn't exactly have a huddle, too few of us. We did get together however, so it was better than nothing I suppose. "Well team, we are out of those troubles, but now we have a brand new one to take its place." I told them, sitting down, it hurt to stand up for that long. It also felt good to blink my eyes, after they were open as long as they were.

"You pose a good question, which one of us shall be the host body for the entire group?" Hokara asked us, as though she was trying to weigh the pros and cons of each person.

"Let us review the facts, shall we?" Karell asked us, picking up some stones. He put two in his left hand, and three in his right. "Ok, my good points are that I am very fast and not likely to get hit, also, I know every lethal and killing stroke that can be done to a human. Those are my two pluses. However, I don't know the weaknesses and lethal points of a demon, if I get hit, I am probably going down for good, and I am not good at analyzing the opponent's weaknesses mid combat because I have a hard time keeping up with my body, which is why I memorized the basic weaknesses most people have" He said. "As you can see, my weaknesses outweigh my pluses."

He then picked up another stone, and put it in his right hand. "Blue, you have a very clam nature that intimidates your opponent, and a very lethal energy like charge that protects you. Those are your pluses. However, your weaknesses are a little like mine. If you get hit, you are probably going down for good. You tend not to move while fighting, so that could pose a problem if they attack from underground. If you show fear, it is easier to analyze why you showed fear, and easier for them to figure out your weaknesses. Also, you are a one tick pony, no offence, but if they find a way around your energy, you are screwed." Hokara nodded a little bitterly at his remark.

Then he looked at me. "Naruto. Well, this could get interesting." He said, dropping all the rocks. "Your pluses. One, you have an indomitable will, your strength is superior to ours, you have plenty of tricks up your sleeves thanks to your ninja training, you are able to find out weaknesses mid combat a lot easier than Blue or I can, you can take a lot more shots before going down than Blue or I can. Your weaknesses, you aren't exactly the best in this terrain. You aren't good at adapting to the situation, you prefer to punch now, ask questions later. You have a bit of a soft side; you don't want to kill if you don't have to. That could be fatal in this instance. And, you have abilities even I don't know about. I know you haven't shown me everything about you. So far you seem to be the only one suited for this situation." Karell said, closing his eyes, folding his arms, and nodding his head. Hokara mimicked his action.

"You two just don't want to get hurt." I told them a little bitterly.

"Yeah, that too." Karell said. Then he walked over and patted me in the back. "Well, good luck, have fun, don't die, and try not to lose. I don't exactly want to die unless I have to." He said to me, a warm smile on his face. With a look like that, you would think I was only running a marathon or something.

"We are counting on you, please come through for us." Hokara told me, looking deeply into my eyes as though she could strip any truth from me.

"Don't worry, even though I had no choice in it, I will do my best. I don't plan on dieing today, so you can rest easy. Well, unless I face some sort of overpowered thing, in which case, we are all screwed." I said, making a very weak attempt at a joke. No one laughed. I was hoping they would have, it would have made me feel a lot better than I do. Honestly, tension was building up inside of me, and it felt like someone was trying to rip me in half from the inside out. Ok, maybe that was a little graphic, let me try again. It felt like some raging beast was feeding on my doubt and fear, growing bigger so that it can tear its way through my flesh to feast on the outside light. Yeah, that sounds a lot better.

"We have decided who will fight for us!" Anna called across the field. Ok, it will look bad if you just start beating your head against a tree, so don't do that. When I have to tell myself that, I know my life is more messed up than the average persons. "We will have Lufia fight for us!"

Now then, who was Lufia? Well, in the ultimate predictable moment, it was the weird cat girl demon from earlier. How do I know this? Well, the fact that she stepped forward, and everybody else stepped away from her to get into the trees, looked like spectator positions as well, and that she was staring intently at me.

"Well now, in our corner!" I heard Karell say really loudly, and then indicated toward me. "Weighing in at one hundred and forty eight pounds, the golden fox, the powerhouse, the legend! We bring for your pleasure tonight, Uzumaki Naruto!" He cried out, standing up, and pumping his fist high into the air. "Can I get a 'Hell yeah!'?" He cried out. Nothing but silence greeted him. I think I heard the wind whisper its regrets to me, but nothing more than that.

"Is he always like that?" I hard Lufia ask me, a strangled tone of disbelief in her voice.

"Yes." I told her lamely, not even at normal amount of energy. "Sadly, he is always like that. Sometimes I wonder why I put up with him." I said a little bit afterwards.

"You know, maybe putting you to death will be a mercy." Lufia said, in the same kind of lame tone of voice I used.

"Trust me; I am considering throwing the fight. Ok, that is a lie, but I really wish he wouldn't embarrass me, or himself, by doing that stuff." I said in the same lame tone.

"All right, now that that annoyance is over." Anna called out over everyone. Lady, you aren't exactly one I want to hear ramble on about anything either. In fact, I would prefer listening to him. He doesn't make me want to shove glass in my ears to stop the bleeding. "We will lay down the rules. Rule one: No support from anybody. We can't help our companion, and you can't get help from yours." She told us, eyeing me in particular. Yeah lady, like I need the help from my companions.

"Rule Two: Avoid lethal shots!" Anna cried out, and I couldn't believe my ears.

"Wait, why aren't lethal shots allowed?!" I heard myself and Lufia cry at once. Ok, I thought a little like a demon. That isn't indicating something about me right?

"Well you will understand when I explain the rest of the rules." Anna said. "It is no longer a fight to the death; I have decided to spice up the rules a little bit."

'Leave it to Anna to change thousands of years of tradition for her own entertainment.' I heard Prelait think to me very bitterly.

'I thought you didn't know what would happen.' I thought to her.

'Well kit, I didn't. There are thousands of ways to decide if humans leave here alive. You got the easiest one, well, I don't know, it depends on how Anna has changed the rules for her own pleasure.' Prelait thought to me.

Great. Why does this stuff mostly happen to me? Is this some sort of freak outcome of my life meant to entertain others?! Knowing my luck, it probably is. "Rule three: I am allowed to interfere at points I deem appropriate." Anna cried out, and this started to seem very unfair in my favor. I know this stupid contest is rigged now.

'Gee, what was your first clue? The messed up rules, the unsportsmanlike conduct, or the fact that YOU HAVE A DAMN BACK STABBING LYING SACK OF SHIT RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU WHO SHOULD BE DAMNED TO THE PITS OF HELL FOR ALL ETERNITY?!' Prelait screamed in my head, a little like a three year old. Well, except that she added colorful language.

'I am sensing some hostility.' I thought to Prelait in a sarcastic tone.

'Kit, I will pour every ounce of power I have into you, if you just promise me to tear that long oily tongue of hers out, and then use her body to make a jump rope out of it, and then feed the body to a bunch of rats.' Prelait thought to me, rather savagely.

'Tell you what; if she interferes too much, you can feed me some power, not all, I don't know if my body can handle that kind of power.' I thought to Prelait.

"Final Rule: The winner takes all!" Anna cried out.

"Wait, what kind of rule is that?" I asked her. "Would you mind explaining it a little better for me?" I asked. It was hard to leave some colorful names off at the end of that.

Anna just stared at me. "Well, I suppose I must to compensate for your genders weak intellect. Thinking with you penis must make it really hard for you to use your brain I suppose." I heard a chortle, I am going to assume it was the succubus. "Well, the winner takes all. Well your friends get killed if you lose, but you will be bound by servitude to Lufia if you lose. If for some strange reason she loses to you, she is bound to follow you around in servitude. Simple as that." She told me.

"So, loser goes into slavery, my friends die horrible painful deaths if I lose, and you are a man hater." I said bitterly. I probably should have left that last part out, but I was starting to get pretty ticked at Anna.

"That is basically it." Anna said. "Now, begin! I don't have time for this; I need to think of a god way to expose of your friends."

I was seriously thinking about letting Prelait pour power into me, this person was very annoying. However, I had a more pressing matter right now: I had to deal with Lufia.

We were just standing across from each other, sizing each other up, and waiting to see which of us would strike first. Patience, will, and perseverance. Well, I can just stand around for hours thinking about nothing, so I should be ok. Suddenly, the wind whistled behind me, and something slit through the air, coming in my direction. I jumped into the air, just as a long tail with some spots and a silver line smashed into the line. "It takes you two too long to fight, just get on with it!" Anna cried out.

Impatient little…Crap, where did Lufia go? Suddenly, I felt the air fill up behind me. Wait, that should be impossible. I can't feel the air around me! 'Well kit, I thought I would give you a little aid in this fight.' Prelait thought to me. I would thank her later.

I twisted my body, and slammed out with my right foot, only to have Lufia catch it with her left hand. She then threw a punch with her free hand, only to have my right hand catch it. Suddenly though, something wrapped itself around my free leg. She let go of my right foot, and then twisted her own hand away from me. Then I went flying into the ground, and I didn't know the cause. I smashed through a tree branch, and bounced off of one below it, small wood splinters embedding themselves in my back. I would have to have someone tear them out later. On second thought, I want them to pluck them out, not tear.

She landed in the tree next to mine, above me about ten feet. I saw her tail swinging around her body in a type of happy manner. I was willing to bet I knew why. Damn, a tail would be useful in a fight, but only if it was strong enough mind you. Some weak thing would probably get in the way. However, if we want to play a little cheap, I can play the same game.

I whip out a shuriken, and slam an explosive tag onto it, and then I threw it at Lufia. She jumped into the air, something I was expecting. I twisted my hand, forcing the steel wire I had attached to it to make the shuriken fly at Lufia. Her face twisted into one of shock, and then the exploding tag went off. She barreled into the tree, except, she didn't pass through it, or hit her back. Why is that you ask? Well, she put her legs there, which absorbed the impact, and then she pushed off, barreling at me at a pretty high velocity.

I slammed my fist into the branch I was onto, and snapped it, making me fall. I threw up some rope, attached to a kunai mind you, and made the kunai hit the tree branch above where I was standing. I pulled up, and just as Lufia hit the tree, I pulled upwards. I slammed my entire body into hers, effectively knocking her into the air.

I was falling now, and so I slammed both feet behind me, so that they hit the tree, and propelled into another tree, and caught a branch and swung up onto it. I noticed that Lufia still hasn't been able to get to a tree to find her footing; she was nothing more than a flying target right now. I formed a fire ball in my right hand, and threw it at Lufia.

Suddenly, she just…disappeared. I mean, she just vanished; her entire body was just gone! I felt the wind shift, and she was in front of me. Her right arm was glowing. Something tells me that I am not going to like this. Suddenly, she slammed it forward into my chest, and a beam of energy just ripped through me. Well, not literally, but it nailed me right in the chest, and then sent me through the tree, the tree behind it, until it dies out and I hit the third tree. I clutched my wound, it felt like someone hut a fireball only at my chest and held it there. I looked down, and saw that my chest are was exposed, clothes were completely gone, And on my chest was a giant sphere-like wound, darkest in the center, and getting lighter as it expanded outwards.

Geez, I had to keep one of my eyes closed to keep the pain from overwhelming me. Specifically, I kept my right eyes closed; Anna was on my left side. I didn't trust her not to make a move. Suddenly, I felt the air shift again, and then I slammed my left foot forward, and nailed Lufia right in the gut. Rule one while fighting me: Don't do the same move very often or in close timing of each other, you will pay for it. I quickly put my left foot down, then I whipped my entire body right, keeping my right foot outstretched, and slammed it right into her face.

She propelled to the side, and into a tree, her head a couple inches away from a sharp looking branch. In fact, her eyes were looking at that branch, and she was breathing a little more heavily than normal. The sound of relief and fear at the same time mingled in her voice as she panted. Then a kunai, courtesy of me of course, sprouted from the tree above her. All was quiet, except for a small sizzling sound. "Aw damn it!" Lufia cried out, as she burst away from the tree with an exuberant amount of speed. She was going a little too fast, I had a hard time keeping up with her. Not Karell's speed, but more grace, and less wasted energy. Probably from being a cat demon.

'Come on kit, whip that pussy around, show her who is boss!' Prelait cheered from my head. You know, if someone read that wrong, it could come off as some big dirty joke. But I doubt anybody doing that thought of that first, right?

"And Naruto was blasted, but he has come back with a couple moves of his own! Oh the drama of this battle, two souls bound to combat must fight, trying to win for their respective race! But what would happen if the two should fall in love mid battle, due to their fists crying out in pain?! Will the two eventually find a way to end the hardship between the two races, so that their love can be realized?!" I heard Karell say in the background.

Both Lufia and I just looked at each other, and nodded. Then we both looked at Karell, who was getting a VERY dark glare from Hokara, but the other female demons were just fawning over him. Not, not literally, but they were listening very intently to what he was saying. Some of them seemed to have hearts in their eyes, and a couple others were shedding tears. "Oh that is so sad!" I heard one of them say, and then she began to sob.

Lufia and I both looked at each other. "You know, I have a giant sudden urge to maim my companion." I told her.

"I was thinking about it myself." She told me, a growl bubbling out of her throat. I will admit, the growl was a little intimidating.

"Karell, what the Hell are you doing?!" I yelled at him, and he suddenly whipped his head around to look at me.

"I was being a commentator." He told me, shrugging his shoulders as though he had every right in the world to do so.

Ok, now I was getting a little ticked. "Karell, I couldn't give a care if you comment on the fight or not, but would you please refrain from speaking such horrible lies? We aren't exactly falling in love; we are trying to rip each others throat out. So, if you will continue to comment, SHUT UP ABOUT THE FALSE LOVE PARTS!" I screamed at him.

I saw a couple of the female demons blush, specifically, the ones that were listening to him intently, and probably thought he was speaking the truth. "Where do I find such weird idiots?" I muttered out loud, holding my hand to my forehead. Suddenly, a loud whistling sound filled the air, and I felt something coming straight at my back. That stupid snake doesn't know when to leave me alone.

I slammed my entire body into the tree branch, just as a thin tail slipped past my head, and slashed the tree I was standing in half. I swear, I was getting really ticked at the snake. "Less talk, more blood!" I heard Anna roar out loud.

If she wanted blood so bad, why did she outlaw lethal shots? Lots of blood tends to come from those. I stood up, and then I felt a leg slam into my left one, and my entire body slowly started to fall, just to have a fist jam itself into my face. I flew into the air, where I saw Lufia appear above me, and then she kicked off a branch. She flipped in mid-air, and then slammed both of her feet into my stomach, where she kicked off of to land safely on a tree branch. I wasn't so lucky, I plummeted head first into the swamp water.

I kept my eyes shut; I didn't dare open them in this kind of water. I tried swimming up, but I couldn't find out which way was up. I stopped fighting, but realized that the stuff in the water kept me from floating upward. Damn it, how was I getting out of this one? Suddenly, a long slender object slammed into my gut, and I was propelled very rapidly in a direction. Suddenly, I broke through the water, and into clean solid air. I pulled out three shuriken, and then whipped them around me. I hear two hit the water, and a third hit a tree to my right.

I pulled out a kunai and some rope, tied the rope around the kunai, and then threw it in the same direction as I heard where the shuriken hit the tree. I heard the kunai hit, and then pulled myself onto the tree, where I was lucky enough to hit a branch. When I landed on the branch, I whipped the dirty water away from my eyes, so I could see again. I don't like the thought of fighting blind.

I looked around, and saw a beam of light heading straight for me. The same light that came out of Lufia's fist. I jumped into another tree, just as the light split the tree I was previously standing in into two new trees. Well, things could be worse. In an instant, I felt the air behind me split.

I looked over, and I saw Lufia standing on top of a tree branch, a challenge in her eyes, glaring down at me. "Is that really the best you can do? What sort of chance do you think you have? Quit holding back, fight me at your full strength." Her eyes narrowed. "Or, is that really your best? You seemed a lot stronger to me. Are you going to pick up the pace?"

My adrenaline level spiked. A challenge…how long has it been since someone has actually challenged me? This wasn't a fight to the death challenge; this was to see which of us was superior. The stakes have been raised. My meat shields…I mean companions, my freedom, and now my own personal pride was on the line. I clenched my right hand into a fist, and drew out a kunai with my left one. I felt my body ease into a stance it knew too well: I was going to fight until I either got knocked out or died. Was all Hell about to break loose? Oh Hell yeah it was.

General Badaxe- Ah, the feared cliff hanger. Don't you hate them? I suppose it is my way of making you come back for more. Also, would someone be kind enough to answer a question that has been plaguing me: Why do some fics, including my own, have Japanese at some points? I don't really see the point anymore, I mean it means you have memorized a couple choice words, there really is no point. So tell me, why do people yell at you if you call out the move, but it is in English, or you say things in English they think you should be able to put in Japanese. Is there really point to this, or is it really as pointless as I think it is? Also, I found the real reason I can't update as often. Turns out, that I have to fight my brother and sister for the computer way too much. Let me tell you how I know: I was given one afternoon, 4 hours, to work on my story, they said I could have it. I managed to get thirteen pages done. Well, so if I don't update as often, i am probably fighting with my brother or sister. Or just being lazy. Your guess on which it is.


	6. Chapter 6

General Badaxe- Well, here we go again. Another chapter. Let me get down to answering reviews. Megaolix, well, I got nothing. If you like it, keep reading. If not, don't bother reading. Enough said. Liemtenshi, don't lecture me. If I decide to include a cliffhanger before all hell breaks loose, it is my choice. As for my sibling and I fighting, I would probably win. However, I don't enjoy the thought of hurting them, count that out. As for being lazy, I'll find a way around it, you can count on that. Shmern, you said it was an 'ok' update. Tell me, why was it only ok? What were the flaws (Besides spelling) in it? Any loose ends I didn't tie up? I really wish when people put comments like that they would at least explain to me why they feel that way. Also, I found inspiration to write. Ironically, it wasn't some story I really loved, or enjoyed reading. Surprisingly, it was one of the worst stories I have ever read. I also realize that some people actually enjoy the way I write. So, to make sure people who enjoy what I read, but hate reading crap, I have decided to update. So, I'm basically updating because I feel sorry for people who read some of the crap I have seen. I won't post authors or titles, I won't scar people. Sorry if that makes me sound conceited. Anyway, on with letting all hell break loose.

I was standing on top of one of the deformed trees, Lufia staring down at me intently. Still though, to challenge me, now I have even more at stake. I felt my right fist begin to shake slightly; I had to force it to remain calm. Excitement was pounding through me; adrenaline, fear, and contentment were a torrent ripping through my body. Adrenaline was thrusting through me, from the fear and excitement I was feeling. Fear at the prospect of becoming someone's slave, and losing my companions. Contentment, for being on the battlefield. The battlefield was always the place for me. I couldn't handle support like being a medic, I live for combat. I was comfortable on it, I thrived on it, and I lived for it. I don't know if I inherited this from my demon host, of from weird way I grew up. Probably a combination.

Lufia was standing on a tree branch about ten feet away from me, and about thirteen feet higher than the branch I was on. I noticed that she had quick regeneration abilities as well. Maybe it was a trait shared by demons that enjoy fighting at close range, or maybe it applies to all forms of demons. However, the burn sphere on my chest was fading away, and the pain wasn't there to haunt me as I fought. I also felt the splinters get burned up, as though some heat had destroyed them so I wouldn't have to worry about them later. Maybe there was more to being a demon than I thought.

However, I was only positive about two things through this entire ordeal. One: This was fun. I was enjoying this, probably more than is actually healthy to me. Something about fighting as hard as you can appeals to me, especially when your opponent can actually match you. Two: Anna was still annoying. I can see why Prelait hold a grudge, even I get the urge to kill her just because of how she talks, and her personality just makes it worse.

How to go about this. I have to be really careful; I can't perform any lethal shots. Lufia knows the same thing. However, this severely limits my arsenal. I'm not allowed to chuck kunai or shuriken at lethal points, deadly traps are out of the question, and performing a neck snap or any other lethal moves are obviously out. Damn rules, I hate them. Since when are there rules in a fight anyways?! In a fight, there are no rules, and both fighters are considered genderless, why are there rules?! Stupid snake, allowing herself to interfere, I know she is finding this rather amusing. Well, amusing to see me squirm. 'We could change that little fact.' I heard Prelait whisper into my mind, and I felt some of her energy begin to course through me.

'Down Prelait, down!' I thought to her urgently. 'I am saving your powers for something more…needed. A surprise if you will.'

I felt her energy recede from my system, and then Prelait thought to me 'Surprise? I do enjoy a nice surprise.' She thought to me, and then I heard a very dark chuckle emanate from the darker corners of my mind. I didn't enjoy the sound of that. I probably shouldn't talk to Prelait for a little bit. At least until she calms down a little.

I reached into the pouch behind me with my right hand, and pulled out a kunai, and slapped an exploding tag on it. Then I slipped it back into my pouch, and pulled out a regular kunai. Then I pulled a shuriken from my pouch with my left hand. I also slipped a little, and three exploding tags fell from my pouch and into the dark murky waters. Well, I would have to forget about those being any help.

However, Lufia and I were still staring at each other. We have been staring for about fie minutes, waiting for the other one to take the initiative. I had a feeling it would have lasted a good couple of minutes, except some reptile had decided to interfere. I jumped away from the branch, as I heard the water being sloshed around by some extreme force, and as I jumped away, the tail splintered the tree I was previously standing in. However, I also heard something that actually sounded pleasing. "Damn it!" Screamed Anna, as she pulled her tail close to her "I have a splinter." She deserved it.

I landed on another tree branch; we were quickly running out of trees. Someone was going to jump wrong one of these times, and go plummeting into the water. I just hope that someone wasn't me. I saw Lufia flying at me, well; I saw a red and gold blur. She was still fast as ever, I just hoped that she was going to wear out soon. Someone gave her something full of sugar before we fought, I just know it. I smashed the branch I was standing on, and started to fall, before she caught the back of my shirt, and then jumped really high into the air. I slashed at her with my kunai, and she dropped me. I flipped in mid-air so that I got a good view of her, and formed a small fireball in my left hand, and lit the shuriken in it ablaze.

I threw it at her, and she couldn't to anything to dodge it. I saw her flip, enough to avoid anything seriously damaging, but it still caught her left arm, and I heard her let out a venomous hiss. In fact, her shirt started to catch fire, until she plummeted herself into the dark water, and definitely extinguished it. I managed to land safely on a tree branch, but I almost slipped and followed her in. The only question now was where was she planning to surprise me? I'm assuming she will attack behind me, but she might be expecting that so she will attack from the front. This is too confusing, I will have to improvise I guess. When was the last time I haven't had to improvise? Too long ago, that much is sure.

I closed my eyes, and tried to listen for whenever she emerges from the water. I was guessing it would be sudden, sending out bunches of noise, and alerting me to her presence. I felt something was wrong though, something about this didn't seem plausible. What was it? I felt a hand on my left shoulder and before I could react I felt claws enter my flesh. I opened my eyes suddenly, and let out a pain filled gasp, and tried as hard as I could not to scream. My eyes watered a little, but I didn't scream. The tears I could say was sweat, so my pride was safe. However, I was not safe. Suddenly, I was whipped high into the air, and then a blur followed me.

I felt two feet jam into my stomach, lifting me even higher. "Let's go higher!" Lufia cried, getting some sort of boost into the air from some unknown source, as three more kicks were delivered into, my jaw, and I flew up even higher.

"Why are we stopping here? Let us go even farther!" Lufia yelled out, jumping off of some unknown source again, and slammed her leg one time into my gut. This one caused the air to rush out of my system, and I had to gasp to get it back.

Then she appeared behind me. She leaned her head close to mine, and then said "We are high enough. Hope you enjoy falling." She said, before her body held mine hostage. She did this by wrapping both of her arms around mine so I couldn't use them, and her legs wound around mine restricting them as well. If it was the other way around, it would look like a dirty sex position honestly, however, I didn't like where this was heading. Both of our bodies flipped, so that our heads were pointed to the ground, and we began to fall, our velocity increasing with each second. She started to spin both of us, and I soon found out why. We were spinning at a rate that kept my head away from hers, and it took all my energy to keep it from snapping off my shoulders. I couldn't slam my head backwards into hers. It also seemed to increase our speed, and we started to fall a little faster.

A sharp pain erupted from my head, as it went clean through a tree branch, and I had to resist the urge to grunt out in frustration. My head went through another tree branch, and then decided to play tag with another tree branch. I was amazed that I wasn't unconscious, but the pain was still alive through my body, my head the source of it, and where the pain was the greatest.

Suddenly, Lufia pushed off of me, and I was free falling by myself, however, I was spinning too fast to see my surroundings, and too fast to have any control of my body. The water was kind enough to break my fall, except the effect was like letting a boulder fall into it: It compressed around me and then erupted upwards, letting me get one last look and breath, before it all fell on top of me. I saw where the way up was this time, and swam towards it. I kept my eyes closed, not wanting any of that water to breach through my defenses. I broke the surface with a gasp, and then I felt a fist, probably Lufia's, smash my face and I lifted off the water, and my back was making it part of a tree when all that was said and done.

You know, I don't know why Lufia's power was surprising me; after all, she was a demon. However, a part of me felt insulted that I was losing. In fact, that part of me was insulting me at this very moment.

'Kit! How could you let this half rate demon play with you like you are some sort of scratching post?!' I heard Prelait scream at me.

Well, right about me, I feel like a scratching post. 'Well Prelait, I am only human. However, I do have something up my sleeve. Don't worry, I wont betray the little trust you have in me.' I told her, slipping the kunai with the exploding tag around it up my sleeve. So I was being a little literal in this case, but it was still something. That and my pride was being shot down. I think Lufia was just warming up in the beginning. It is the only explanation I have for having the crap beaten out of me so suddenly.

'Prelait, could you do me a favor?' I thought to her, putting the shuriken I had instinctively pulled out away.

'What is it kit?' She asked me, seeming a lot calmer than before. Maybe her anger had aired out a little.

'Could you give me some power? Not a lot, not enough for there to be a physical change, strong enough however that I get a slight boost in my strength.' I thought to her, bracing myself for what I hoped would be some power.

'Kit, I would be happy to. However, you had better not lose this fight then.' She thought to me, a warning in her tone.

'Done.' I thought to her, and then I felt her power enter me. Honestly, I had to gasp as it slid through me. It was warm, and surprisingly pleasing. I felt like I was bathing in pure sunlight, and letting the energy flow through every inch of my being. I had to force myself to focus, so that I wouldn't be caught flat footed.

I felt more alert, and my senses were heightened. I saw small details on things, the bugs crawling on the tees, the small ripples of water as a leaf floats onto it. I heard the breathing and flow of the wind as it caressed what little it could touch in this desolate wasteland. All in all, I felt powerful.

I saw it clearly this time, Lufia charging at me; it was no longer a blur. Her left fist was pulled back, she was close to me, running across the waters top, preparing to strike me. I charged chakra into the bottom of my feet, and jumped on top of the water. I almost slipped, and it was hard to maintain my balance. In fact, I sunk a couple inches in the water. It took me less than a second to regulate my chakra to the waters flow, and then I stood on top of the water like it was the land itself. However, I also had a cat demon charging me at full speed. She threw her fist as hard as she could, and I did the last thing she expected: I caught it in my own hand.

She had a shocked look on her face, which quickly changed to one of fury, and then she slammed her right foot at my side. I blocked it with my left knee, and I saw her flinch in pain. I pushed her away, and then roughly pulled her back, and slammed my left fist into her stomach, and she grunted a little, and flew a little into the air. I jumped in the air, and faked a kick with my left foot, which she started to block. Then I switched, and slammed my right foot into her face, and she started to rocket across the swamp. I noticed that she flew a little above the exploding tags I had dropped earlier, and I quickly activated them. They exploded, sending pillars of water into the air, and waves of smoke. They missed her completely. However, they did set one of the dead trees aflame.

As much as I enjoyed the small amount of warmth as I just got out of some freezing water, I couldn't just stand here and absorb the warm glow, I had to fight.

"And in a twisted turn of events, Naruto has decided not to get his ass handed to him, and decided to strike back at the femme fatale. Pulling into an energy source he didn't know he had, he easily countered the stunning blow Lufia was preparing to tear into him with! What more action packed excitement can we hope for from this bloody fight?!" I heard Karell screaming.

"Do you ever shut off you voice?" I heard Hokara ask him. "You are starting to edge out the horrible side of me, which would love nothing more than to cogitate about possible sources of action that would inflict massive amounts of an uncomfortable feeling to your well being." I heard her say to him. I didn't understand half the words that she used, but her tone of voice left an unmistakable impression on what it was. This excellent hearing was something I would enjoy in most situations. However, there are a couple situations where I would find this annoying.

"Lufia! Pick up the pace; don't let this male beat you!" I heard Anna scream. Mustn't kill myself from really annoying sound, mustn't kill myself from really annoying sound. Kill the source of the sound, that sounds a lot more appealing. However, I notice she said 'male' instead of 'human.' This person was definitely prejudiced. Well, this demon. Must have been dumped or something I was guessing. However, with a voice like that, I wasn't really surprised.

I managed to hear Lufia mutter "Stupid bitch. I respect you, but you are just becoming a pain in my ass. Let me fight my way." She whispered it under her breath, really hard for me to hear, but I did hear it. So she was becoming annoyed as well. Nice to know we have at least one thing in common. However, I saw her pull her fist back, and then she started to rush at me again. I formed a fire ball in my left hand, and pulled out a kunai with my right. She was in my face, when I took a slash at her. She back flipped high into the air, spinning in a small ball as she propelled backwards.

I expected this, and then I threw the fire ball at her small form. Suddenly she had both hands above her head, pointing at me. Then she thrust them forward, and a strange purple beam shot forth out of them. It engulfed my fireball, and dissolved it. It was also still going straight for me. I jumped away, and saw the beam smash into the tree. The energy hit it, and shattered a couple branches. Then the energy folded in on itself and was penetrating the tree, and then the tree exploded. I guess it would have been very painful to actually get hit by that move. Memo to self, avoid anything my opponent uses. Then again, that is usually the philosophy of combat. So I don't actually have to take a memo about it. Good, less work and remembering on my part.

I was holding onto a branch, I didn't have the energy to swing up onto it right now. I was too amazed at what I had just witnessed. Someone had some explaining to do, since when could a demon of any kind do moves like that?! Something tells me that that isn't the only trick Lufia has up her sleeve. I had to be careful, no reckless moves in this fight. I flipped myself up, and caught another tree branch with my leg, and flipped up onto that one. I was at the top of the tree, and Lufia stood at the top of another tree. I pulled out a shuriken, and threw it at the tree. Then I pulled out the kunai from my sleeve, and threw it at the same spot as the shuriken.

The kunai hit the center of the shuriken, right where the hole was, and Lufia jumped off of the tree after seeing the exploding tag on it. I pulled up on the steel wire I had attached to the shuriken, and managed to whip the kunai at her a second time, and this time she couldn't dodge it. Right before it hit her, I activated the exploding tag, and it exploded in her face. Except this was an irregular exploding tag. As it exploded, no fire came out. It was all pure black smoke designed to hamper the vision.

When the smoke filled the area, and no one could see me, I did a move I haven't done in such a long time. It is good to relive a classic, and this one was no exception. I was grinning, doing my best not to inhale the smoke, as it lifted from the area. "All right you little bastard, that was uncalled for! I almost choked to death on that crap!" I heard Lufia scream at me, and when the smoke cleared, I noticed that she was rubbing the smoke away from her eyes.

She opened them a little later, and then she looked at me. Then she rubbed her eyes again. And looked another time. "Is it just me, or do I really see about twenty five of you?" She asked, with a puzzled expression covering her face.

"People, I need to get my eyes checked." I heard Karell yell out. "What kind of smoke was that? All I know is that now I see……thirty eight Narutos, that is right, thirty eight of them. Well, the smoke could have done things easier, and made it exactly forty of them, easier to keep track of." He said, and I had the feeling he was scratching his head as he said that. He at least sounded confused.

Well Karell, you are right. There are exactly forty of me. Kage Bunshin is a wonderful tool. However, my clones enjoy springing surprises like this one. Suddenly two things exploded from the water, revealing two balls of sludge. They jumped up and grabbed Lufia's arms, and then they swung her at the rest of us. She flipped in the air, and I noticed her arm was glowing again. Not this time. Four fire balls rushed at her, and then I threw an exploding shuriken at her. The four fireballs merged into one giant one, and then the shuriken flew at the rear of it and exploded. The force of the explosion sent the fireball flying at Lufia, who fire the beam from her arm at the giant inferno.

They collided, and then they just cancelled each other out. I formed a ball of ice in my hand, and then threw it at Lufia. Go to a store, browse through one or two scrolls without buying it, and you can learn one or two interesting tricks. The ball of ice was about to hit her, when it split into smaller ice shards, and then fired itself rapidly at her, embedding themselves all over her chest, ripping some of her clothes apart, thank goodness nothing too revealing happened. I couldn't really talk, my entire chest was exposed, and part of my stomach was showing.

However, the ice shard hit the one place I really needed them to: Her knee caps, and her legs. It would have been batter if they had hit her at the back of her knee caps, but she should have a problem moving now. That would make this fight so much easier. I started to rush her, my clones disappeared, they weren't needed anymore, and I reached her just as she tried to jump, realizing the pain that had gripped her. Blood flew everywhere, as the sudden movement caused her blood to pump through her veins. Some of the blood even landed on my clothes. Her face twisted to one of agony, as I grabbed her tail, and tugged hard to have her com at me, where I plowed my knee into her back. I threw her into the air, and then I flew up after her. I slammed my knee into her stomach, and then I flipped forward and slammed her back into the tree. She didn't go through the branch, which was a good thing. I was flying downward at her with my fist pulled back into a striking position.

I saw a horrible face appear in front of me, with black spots all over it. That stupid bitch! I saw Anna's mouth open, and a blue circle with thirteen hexagons appeared at the center, and then the hexagons formed one big hexagon, and then a strange light started to appear, and then it launched itself at me, the velocity at which it was traveling snapping tree branches along the path it took. It did the only thing I could at the circumstances, and threw my arms in front of me face, and felt the full impact of the blast. The beam was searing my skin as the energy rippled across my entire body leaving behind untraceable scars of pain. It stopped suddenly, but I was flying backwards until my back had the courtesy to meet with a tree. I slid down until I hit a tree branch, and was breathing rather heavily. I wasn't expecting that at all, stupid snake.

"Lufia, I will take over for now." I heard Anna tell the cat. "He is stronger than we had presumed; you shouldn't live in this creature's servitude. Rest now, I won't lose to such a person." She said, eyeing me the entire time.

"Yes Mistress Anna. Sorry to have failed you." Lufia said, bowing on one knee to show respect.

"Don't worry child, unless he has some sort of ultimate weapon, he can't possibly kill me." Anna thought, and I saw her eyes turn from black; to black with blood red slits.

'I don't know kit, do I count as some sort of ultimate weapon?' Prelait thought to me, surprisingly, it wasn't sarcastic. Did she really have to ask me that question?

'Let me think about it for a second.' I thought to her in a rather sarcastic tone. 'You can destroy entire villages, topple mountains, create tidal waves, summon huge infernos, leak a lot of power into me, tear through most defenses with ease, command the fear of nations…nope. You aren't an ultimate weapon at all.' She could tell it was all sarcasm.

'Well then, maybe we should turn it up a notch.' I heard Prelait say out loud, and I almost heard the dark giggle she must have been emanating at the chance to finally kill Anna, for whatever reason she had.

'Hold on, only give me power if I ask it of you. Let me see what this snake is capable of.' I thought to Prelait.

She sounded rather bitter as she explained to me in colorful language why she shouldn't hold back, but in the end, she was kind enough to let off until I asked her for more power. However, she sternly pointed out to me that it was all of her own free will, and that I owed her one. Well, I would work out the details on all of this later. Until then, I had a snake to skin.

I pulled out a kunai; I was getting low on these things. Stock up in the next town, definitely. Until then, I would have to make due with this stuff. The snake just stood there…well, what would you call a snake just standing there? I mean, I don't think it could be considered standing; it was holding itself on its tail. I had no idea if that counted or not. Well, maybe I would ask someone who actually has knowledge on snakes, and ask them. Until then, I suppose I will just consider it standing.

'Kit, this is the happiest moment of my life.' Prelait thought to me in a very pleasant sounding voice.

'Do I even have to ask why?' I thought to her, rather disbelieving. Anyone out there who doesn't know why should slam their head in a door rather hard.

'Why kit, finally, there is a chance for me to watch Anna die.' Prelait thought to me in a rather calm voice. Suddenly, her voice grew a lot darker and more menacing. It twisted as I heard it, as thought it was wriggling and slithering out of her mouth. It sounded like it was alive, and honestly, she sounded a lot more like a demon right now. **'I am going to enjoy watching the blood pour from the wounds that mar her flesh, I am going to love watching as you rip that slimy head off of her scrawny little neck, I am going to fall in love with her corpse as it lays at your feet. I am so happy right now.'**

Alright, I am scared now. Something about listening to Prelait is scaring the crap out of me. It could be her sudden blood lust, her want of blood, or it could be she sounds like she is going to rip my throat our along with Anna's. When I think about it, I hope that she doesn't decide to visit Anna personally. I don't exactly need to feel empty right above murky water; it isn't the smartest thing to do.

'**Don't worry kit; I won't leave you unless you lose.'** I heard Prelait whisper to me, in that twisted voice of hers. The closest sound I can affiliate with it would be thousands of souls crying in pain as the demons of Hell tortured them. It was just scarier than the thought, that's all. **'After all, what better way to humiliate her than have her lose to the one thing she hates most? A male. If she loses to you, it will be the worst thing that could happen to her. However, if you seem like you are losing, I am going to shove power down your throat, and you have no choice in the matter.' **She thought to me rather darkly.

Wow, this grudge thing is deep. She won't even ask me at this point. So, if I was losing, I was going to have enough power in me to level a town. Well, I was a little…unsure about this entire thing. Losing my choice wasn't something I exactly wanted in my life. Then again, trying to resist Prelait, I might as well try to convince a brick wall it wasn't solid. I would probably have a better chance in doing that. 'Prelait, you are starting to scare me.' I thought to her, rather mildly I might add.

'**Kit, I don't care if you thought I was your grandmother gone insane, you will do as I say. If you resist my will, I will sodomize your mind until you are completely under my control, and then you will do this anyways! Now then, be a good little fox, and annihilate that snake.'** Prelait thought to me rather darkly. I wish I knew what sodomize meant, but I had a feeling I didn't really want to know. I would ask Hokara later what it meant. Curiosity gets the better of me once again.

Anna lunged her giant head at me, her mouth gaping wide open revealing fangs below. I saw a strange liquid coating her sharp looking teeth. I had a feeling it was some kind of poison. However, I didn't exactly want to test that theory. That would require being bitten by her, and I didn't exactly want that. I roll down the branch, and threw a shuriken with an exploding tag at her as she passed. Unfortunately, it bounced off of her tough skin, and fell into the water where it exploded harmlessly. Damn it, this was going to be a lot tougher than Lufia.

"And proving once again what a total bitch snakes can be, the giant snake switches places with our femme fatale. Honestly, I'm not that surprised, and I would prefer it if our femme fatale was fighting. She was a lot more pleasing to the eyes in my opinion, and I am sure if Naruto could hear me, he would agree with me." Karell was saying, still being the announcer to the group. Honestly, I agree, she was a lot more pleasing to the eyes. And the ears.

I heard a loud thud of a fist hitting flesh, and I heard Karell scream out for a second. So Hokara finally nailed him. "You know, I wanted to do that." I heard Hokara say. Ok, maybe she didn't hit him.

"Yeah, but he was talking about me, and I didn't really appreciate it, during the fight, and especially after." I heard Lufia say, as I heard a knuckle pop. I would thank Lufia later; honestly, I have wanted to hit the guy from time to time as well. Fun to be around, but got really annoying at times.

I couldn't enjoy the scenery of course, as I heard Anna lunge at me from behind. I rolled again, of course, usually this would be smart. However, the way I rolled didn't have a branch at the end of it. Gravity is still in effect. I was falling. I reached up to try to grab a branch, only to have a mouth and fang close over my hand, and slice straight through my flesh. To say it was painful would have been an understatement. I yelled at the top of my lungs, releasing all the pain I could through my breath. It wasn't much, but it did help.

I was drug along by my hand, and I found it a miracle my arm wasn't ripped from my socket, possibly snapping quite a few bones. However, I was barely able to tell where I was, due to the fact that I was screaming as loud as I could possibly go without destroying my voice box. Finally I was let go, after being slammed into the trunk of a tree of course. I only grunted at this pain, it wasn't as bad as being drug along thank goodness. I was happy that her fang didn't slice all the way across my hand, slitting it in half. However, the fact that my hand wasn't healing was bothering me. 'Prelait, aren't you going to help me?' I asked her, I noticed I was breathing a lot heavier than I ever had, except for one time.

'**Kit, I'm doing all I can.'** I heard her slither the words to me **'I have to counteract the poison in her veins first, unless you want something a lot more serious than a cut. I will help you later; however, you will have to bandage up that hand of yours, so that it doesn't bleed too much.'** I heard her growl out. I notice that she considered a giant fang going in my mouth and almost making me lose it, was only a 'cut' to her. I hate her sometimes.

I dug my teeth into my sleeve, and ripped it off with a sudden jerk. It had some of Lufia's and my blood on it from our earlier scuffle. Unfortunately, I don't exactly have the time to be sanitary. I used the rag to tie my wound together, blood and all. I just hope I get some sort of disease that affects only demons, I don't know if my body could take it. With Prelait however, I don't think I have much to worry about. I wasn't going to risk it, later, if my wound was still open, I was going wash it out. Never done it before, but then again, a demon had never bitten me either.

I tightened the knot, and then put as much pressure as I could on the wound. It wasn't much, but it was bound to help more than leaving it alone. Of course, I wasn't given time to do anything else. I heard the water parting as a bulky creature moved as swiftly as they could through it. I turned around to a gaping mouth, and threw a smoke ball inside of that wide target. It went in, and exploded, releasing a large amount of smoke. Too bad that was my only smoke bomb. Anna couldn't do anything, as smoke filled her lungs, as she hacked and coughed, and I think I saw some blood come up. I wasn't waiting.

I jumped down, and focused some chakra into the bottom of my feet. I landed on top of he water, I needed more room than a tree branch was giving me. I formed an ice ball, twice the size of the previous one. However, there was one distinct difference, there was a black thing inside of the ice this time. Unfortunately, this move was an all or nothing move. When I release it, I will be drained of quite a bit of energy. I actually had to buy the scroll for this one, the stud for it was quite complex. It had better be worth it, that's all I'm saying.

Anna started to breathe normally, no longer held under the sway of a coughing fit. That, or she was really good at hiding it. But, she was lunging at me again, except this time there was a green aura about her, and her mouth wasn't open. Her eyes were becoming blue, and then I saw her open her mouth. A black fog-like substance was in it. I could tell it wasn't smoke. It writhed and twisted in her mouth, as though it was alive. Then I launched at me, and gained two glowing red dots on it. I ran to the side, still carrying my little ice orb with me. However, the black fog twisted, and changed direction, right back at me. The two red dots were flying straight at me, never letting me leave its sight.

Great, the second drawback to the move I was holding, I couldn't do anything else. Sustaining the existence of the ice ball made it impossible for me to pull off anymore feats. All in all, this sucked. I only had one option, and that as to waste my little ice ball on the dark fog. This was going to leave me completely open for an attack. Well, I had better brace myself. I twirled around, and slid across the top of the water, facing toward the black fog. "Have some of this!" I yelled out, whipping the ice ball as hard as I could ay the black abomination.

It hit its target, dead on the target accuracy. The black fog creature froze, and then the ice seemed to go inside of it. In fact, it did, it was to hold my opponent for the rest of the technique. Then the small black object inside of the ice slowly expanded, and drew the fog creature inside of it. Then it imploded in on itself, crushing the creatures bones, (If it had any that is.) and then a wave of fire was unleashed from the small abyss, effectively disintegrating anything that was left, and about five or six feet of trees around it. I felt the heat, it was more like an inferno honestly, and I was really happy that I was out of the range of the move. It was worth the money.

However…now I had a problem. Through the scorched trees and debris charged Anna, three ethereal swords floating around her head, as though they were securing the perimeter. I knew better, they were going to rip me to ribbons. I barely had any energy. Crap, that move was draining. I felt the energy returning to me, but it wasn't coming fast enough for anything I needed. I barely had enough energy to jump. Unfortunately, that was my only option at the moment. Damn it, I hate my life.

One of the swords broke formation, and charged at me with a silent battle cry, a thin whistle as it sliced the air open. I jumped in the air, and it barely flew below me. Then I saw a second sword break formation, and it was flying directly at me. I tried jumping again, and then I felt something weird. I felt the air morph itself into a solid object below my feet, and I was able to push off of it. I jumped even higher, and the second sword flew below me, and I was still safe. What just happened? I didn't have time to ask questions, the third sword flew at me, and I tried jumping again. Sure enough, an air platform, or whatever it was, formed beneath me and allowed me to gain even more height.

Anna looked pissed off. She was very unhappy, and I must say, it gave me a warm feeling right in my heart. Or maybe it was Prelait purring, and that was making me feel funny. Either way, I must say that someone was enjoying this. "And Naruto pulls out unknown skills he has been hiding, unleashing them only when necessary! This guy doesn't kid around; let's see who will be the bigger winner!" He cheered. "I must say, Naruto seems awfully small, but his power is actually overwhelming. Anything else he is hiding from us? My only question is where is he pulling out these skills, I seriously doubt he is using them to increase his height!" He said, and I heard a couple of the demons chuckle. Karell, I'm going to beat you down for calling me a midget. You had better hope I come out of this fight wounded, or you won't see the end of it.

"I grow tired of this." I heard Anna say, and then I whipped my head around to stare at her. I saw her eyes flash to green, and then I was surrounded. I was surrounded by those weird ethereal swords, and then they all rushed in at once. There was about eight of them, and they carved me up like any other solid object would. Two plunged into my right and left legs. Another catapulted itself into my stomach. Two more invaded both of my arms at the elbows, and another slammed into my chest, really close to my heart, but now quite hitting it. One was protruding from my throat, and it clashed cleanly through. The final one slammed itself into my groin, effectively castrating me. Pain flooded through me, and I saw the swords disappear. I was falling, pain becoming a part of me, as though I had never lived without it. I looked up; I didn't have the energy to do anything else.

All of my energy was being used to make sure that I didn't lose consciousness, even though I would have liked nothing more than to let the blackness and numbness take over. At least then I wouldn't feel any pain. However, I couldn't let the darkness take me. No matter how much pain was filtering through me, no matter how big the shock of no longer having a gender, no matter of anything! I had to beat this stupid snake, I had to win! Yeah, I thought big, but as of right now, I have nothing to back it up. I saw it, the fountain of blood falling out of my wounds, trying to reach me and return to the warmth my body had given it. Blood filled my lungs, I could no longer breathe. It was growing harder and harder to retain consciousness.

I must say two things. I had great fear. Fear was a living thing inside of me, growing with each thought of death that was growing in number. It seemed like I was going to die. I knew if I closed my eyes I wouldn't wake up, no amount of darkness trying to force itself upon me this big would just give me a small reprieve from my current torment. It was final. Second thing, it actually brought me a certain peace of mind. Knowing I could end all my suffering and torment gave me a certain peace of mind I found relaxing. It made it seem attractive honestly, no more names, no more beating, no more period. Then again, I wasn't about to let it end, I haven't made a name for myself just yet. Become Hokage, it seems great. However, I just wanted to go down in history. I don't want to be just a name on a wanted poster, a name on a roster, I want to amount to something. Become someone others can look back at, and say "He was great." Hokage seemed the only way to achieve this. However, at the rate I am going, it won't happen. However, I will find a way to go down in history a great man, or at my current age, boy. I just have to live.

I smashed hard into the water; it felt like I slammed into stone honestly. I didn't open my mouth; I didn't need blood to mix with this foul water in my throat. I was under the surface. Have I mentioned that the water was cold? It was freezing now, pouring in from every wound I was currently nurturing. I felt my body go completely numb, the only thing alive was my mind at this point, and that control was fading rather fast. 'Prelait…I need help.' I thought to her, rather slower than usual. I had to make sure I didn't use up too much energy trying to talk to her.

Her voice was a lot softer than before. I was happy to report she wasn't in her twisted phase anymore. 'Kit, hold on. I just hope your body can take this.' She said, a little sadly I might add.

Last time she gave me power, it was a nice warm feeling, something I could use for comfort if needed. This wasn't warm, it was an inferno. It wasn't a nice feeling, it felt like someone had lit me ablaze, and not even the water could quench the thirst of the fire. It exploded from my body, and consumed me at the same time. The pain felt rather good to me honestly, it was another second I knew I was alive. I felt my wounds closing, the blood in my lungs being expelled somehow, and the tainted water being purged from my system. I felt something really…strange…as well. It isn't every day you feel your penis grow back and it was rather uncomfortable. I hope I never have to experience it again.

One feeling burned brighter than all the other: Hatred. That stupid snake did this to me, and was going to pay dearly. I felt another surge of power, even stronger than the last one. I felt my body become lighter than before, in fact, I felt the water fly off of me as well. I know something was strange, when I was standing on my own two feet. Solid ground, right where about a couple thousand or million gallons of water used to be. I saw that my hands were slightly different, my fingernails were longer and appeared sharpened on the end. I touched them with a finger, and it poked through my skin easily, and the wound healed before I could even register the pain.

I felt my face, and my whiskers were thicker. A lot thicker. A mouse could use one as a broom. I saw a red energy folding itself around me, never moving far from my body. I looked around, and most noticeably, were three red tails that swung behind me. I was amazed that my clothes didn't get annihilated from the amounts of raw energy flying off of me. All in all, I felt powerful. Powerful enough to annihilate anyone standing in my path, certainly strong enough to take care of this pesky snake.

'Three tails of power. Sadly, that isn't a lot of power.' Prelait thought to me, as though she were ashamed to only give me this amount..

'Wait, this isn't a lot of power? How much power am I holding?' I asked her, curiosity claiming me once again. You would think watching cats would get rid of this thing.

'You see kit, each tale is significantly more powerful than the other. You see, one tail is like 1x1 and only getting one, a second tale is like 10x10 making 100. The third tale makes 100x100 making 10,000 units of power. You aren't even at a quarter of the power you could achieve. However, I didn't dare pour more into you, I don't want to destroy your body or make you become addicted to my power.' Prelait thought to me.

This wasn't even one quarter of her power? Holy…the possibilities. I felt some small sprinkled hitting me, and then I realized why I was standing on the ground. The water around me was parted; some sort of barrier was keeping it away from me. I put my hand out, with my palm outstretched. I clenched it quickly, reveling in the power I had achieved. Well, it was given to me, but my body could take it, so I was rather happy. Now then, I had to deal with a snake.

I must have been down there quite a while, longer than I had thought. Everyone was gone. I didn't hear any of them, in fact, I couldn't even smell them. However, I…felt them, every demonic signature in this forest. Even the small traces of demon in Hokara's veins, the reason she has that weird blue energy. All of them were pulsing, as thought they were guiding me right to them. They could probably feel my energy as well.

'Nope. They can't feel your energy; it is hidden from their senses, because I gave the energy to you for now. As such, it isn't attuned to my gender, and they can't feel you unless they are specifically searching for a male.' She thought to me, rather proudly. I was happy because that assured me I wasn't a eunuch.

I jumped on a tree branch, and it turned out to be a big mistake. The energy I was expunging forced the tree to literally disintegrate. I jumped up, and the tree and the branch just disappeared into dust. I fell, and landed on my head against rather soft mud, my chakra couldn't make the mud into dirt. I stood up, muttering a couple soft curses, and just started to talk in the direction all of the signatures blew in from. The water rose and fell as it went into and out of my radius. I also disintegrated a couple tree on my way over. Mostly branches, but every once in a while I would step too close to a tree and it would just disappear.

I walked for I don't know how long, amazed at the power still coursing through me. What would happen at full power? I wondered this, along with plenty of other questions. I knew Hokara was alive, but they might have killed Karell just for being male. I started to hear them; the chakra must have jacked up my hearing pretty high. I knew they were still about half a mile away from me; their signatures were pretty far off. "What outcome has been decided by them?" I heard Hokara ask someone.

"I have no idea. Pretty much Mistress Anna is saying what is going to happen. Everyone else, the 'council' is just for show. Your friend, the loudmouth, is probably going to suffer before he finally dies. Being male an all. You, well, you might have some mercy, you are a female after all." I heard Lufia reply back to Hokara.

"Gee, doesn't that make me feel special." I heard Karell mutter sarcastically. "Well, at least I lived a full and happy life. I knew traveling Around with Naruto would lead me to adventure, he never believed me. I find it quite funny."

"Sad way, he was a fun fight." Lufia muttered. "I wouldn't mind fighting him again. However, I was a bit surprised when I saw him use the air jump, I didn't think humans were capable of it."

"Yeah, he was a resourceful one. Always was, always has been, at least since I have known him. It wasn't very long ago that I met him anyways." I heard Karell say, and he actually sounded serious, and most shockingly, he sounded intelligent. "Ingesting poison, fighting bandits, seeing a small psycho meteor driving demon, and then he fought here. He didn't have that bad of a life when I think about it. At least, in my opinion. Sad he had to die; he would have lived a great life."

"Indeed." Was all Hokara said, and I could almost imagine her nodding her head sagely.

"Forget all that, I just want a rematch! Damn it, I never should have let Mistress Anna finish him! At least if he was my slave I could fight him on a daily basis! Seems like such a waste…" Lufia said, trailing off. "But, no use in crying over that saucer of milk. Oh well, when I die and meet him in the afterlife, I'll challenge him then."

You know, it was sad they were mourning my death and all, but I couldn't help but laugh. I was listening to people talking about how they missed me.

"-Great fight! Damn! That male put up one hell of a show! I swear, I was very lucky to witness it." I heard a female I couldn't recognize say.

"Know what you mean. For a human, he had a lot in him. However, I do believe I got pictures of you crying because that male and Lufia being 'lovers.'" I heard another one say teasingly.

"You're going to blackmail me aren't you?" I heard the female say rather saddened.

The other female's voice was upbeat. "You bet I am! Don't worry; I'm also blackmailing all the other women who cried during that. Man, I can't believe you believed him." She said, laughing.

Then the saddened voice became knowing, and said to her, "Yeah, we were all fools. Even you." I swore I heard something paper-like get shown.

The demon that was previously upbeat suddenly became very…negotiating. "You know, maybe my pictures of you crying should have a little accident, leave them in the air too long, too close to a flame, if you know what I mean."

I didn't bother listening to that conversation anymore. It was all blackmail at this point. I was still walking, the pulses getting stronger as I got closer. Maybe I should be running all the way there, but I didn't feel like wasting the energy. Not to mention, honestly, it made me feel bad-ass. I might not have looked it, then again, I did have so much energy pouring off of me I could level a city with no problem. Anyways, I liked the feeling, so I just walked. I was massaging my ego, I know, but I didn't really care. When I was like this, I deserved the right to be like that. I did in my opinion at least.

"A verdict has been reached!" I heard a woman say out loud, probably one of the 'council' I heard about. "Mistress Anna is presiding. Listen intently." She said. I would listen, except I pretty much know she is going to kill both of them, I didn't need the details involved on how they were going to die. That and I didn't want to curse my hearing by listening to her voice. Might as well shut her up now.

'Prelait, is there a way to make them able to sense me?' I asked her, still walking casually along. Another tree to my left just disappeared from my sight. Well, I should be a little more careful, I guess. Then again, most of these trees were already dead; at least, I hope they were already dead. If not, I guess they are now.

'Well kit, I could. But then, Anna would know it was me. She would turn and flee, and we don't exactly want that, do we?' She thought to me, rather cynically. Looks like her extreme hate was starting to manifest again.

'Good point. How long do you think I have to reach there?' I asked. My foot sunk a little too far into them mud, and I stumbled a little. I was barely able to keep my footing. I swear these swamps were nothing but trouble.

'Well kit, Anna is the one going to speak. You have a while; she likes to hear herself talk. It is just that no one else enjoys listening to her, she can't seem to understand this however.' Prelait thought to me, a rather dark feeling was behind the words she uttered. It might just be me, but I had a feeling that there was some deep prejudice against Anna. Just maybe.

"As you all know, we had some intruders." Anna said. Really now?! No one would have been able to guess if you hadn't told them, good going Anna. "And the council has passed judgment on the survivors. Sadly, I accidentally finished the other one. My apologies to Lufia, who had fought valiantly." She said. Everyone could hear the unsaid 'but it wasn't good enough and I had to finish It.' phrase she had left off. I almost felt bad for Lufia. I could imagine the shame hanging above her as all of the demons looked at her. However, I wasn't finished just yet.

"As such, we have passed judgment on the two companions." Anna told all of the other demons imperiously. Why can't she just call it an execution? That is basically what it is. "The male will be killed by slow torture. We offer the female freedom, only if she promises never to tell these lands to anyone around." That wasn't gender discrimination.

"Execute me." I heard Hokara say, without pause or hesitation.

I think everyone there blinked a couple times, before Anna said "Excuse me? What did you say?" She said it a little shocked.

"I said 'Execute me.'" Hokara said again, no fear in her voice. "I was a companion of Naruto as well, I don't deserve any different that Karell. I implore you to retract your earlier statement and execute me." Brave girl. Stupid in my opinion, but brave. Then again, I would have said the same thing, so that makes me an idiot as well.

I wasn't in the swamp any longer. I was standing on stone blocks, a path in fact. It was only one path, and only went toward the pulses. It didn't take Shikamaru to figure out where this was going. Good thing as well, I wouldn't be able to touch the guy's level of genius. I followed the path, following the voices.

"Very well you ingrate! Since you feel so attached to whatever group you used to have, you can fall with this…this…thing!" She spluttered out, extremely angry. I was guessing the 'thing' was Karell. By the way, make that voices, and some nails on a chalkboard.

I rounded a corner, and saw the entire group. Anna had her back to me, but both Hokara and Karell could see me. Hokara looked shocked, and Prelait was right, I haven't seen anything until I saw her shocked. It took a lot of will power not to laugh. Karell had a knowing smile on his face, as though he knew I was alive the whole time. Then he threw his head back, and laughed. Laughed pretty hard. I thought he was going to start turning blue really soon.

"And just what," Anna was seething, you could almost see and feel the extreme fury whip across your back, lashing at you. "Is so damn FUNNY?!" She hollered out, and I covered my ears. Excellent hearing, plus annoying voice, equals really bad experience.

He got one of his usual cocky grins on his face, and then he said "Oh nothing. It is just that I want to see your face when you realize you are about to get your ass handed to you. Too bad I won't be able to, it would be priceless I'm sure. Oh well, I guess that I get the short end of the stick once again." He said, sighing out loud.

Then someone on the other side of the circle looked past Anna at me. Specifically, it was the naked Succubus from earlier. Her mouth dropped a little, and she did nothing but stare at me as I walked casually toward all of them.

"Mia, what's wrong with you?" I heard Anna ask her, with what sounded like a little concern in her voice. Honestly, I didn't know if I should enjoy the view, or just end it right now. Ending it right now seemed like the best way for me to have fun. And everyone who knows me knows that I do love having fun, especially considering how my life usually is.

"**I don't know." **I said rather loudly, not realizing my voice had gone into this weird…demonic sounding thing. **"She looks like she just saw her worst nightmare come out of a swamp."** I said, still walking toward them casually.

Now then, people usually don't like to look surprised. It is also recommended that you don't turn your head too fast, or you might risk something like a neck cramp, or, in serious cases, snap your own neck. Everyone facing away from me broke this rule, and I was amazed to see not one of them hold their neck in pain or keel over dead. All eyes were on me, as I walked toward them. I only looked at two. Anna had a face full of intense hatred, but also one of great fear. Anyone with eyes could see the power radiating off of me. She looked a little…crazed I suppose would be the best word for it. I think she recognized the aura, because all rational thoughts left her eyes, and she appeared like a mouse backed into a corner by a cat. I didn't know why, she could easily retreat at this point. Then again, her pride might be keeping her.

I also looked at Lufia. She seemed…happy I was still alive. I saw her left hand clench into a fist and tremble. It was with excitement mind you, she didn't appear to show any fear. She was happy I was alive, but not for the reasons Karell and Hokara were probably happy. She wanted a fight, and I would give it to her. Later of course, I still had to kill a snake. I gave her a tiny salute, and amazingly, she returned it, with an anticipatory smile invading her face. Well, looks like I get to have some fun after I powered down. Until then I guess I would have to settle for a snake. I couldn't wait. Then her eyes went to one of shock. It was as though she were seeing the aura around me for the first time. She seemed to whisper something, her lips moved, and I heard an extremely silent "You…" as though she had met me somewhere before. This puzzled me a little.

I walked slowly toward Anna, flexing my fingers. I don't think I should anticipate a kill this much; Prelait must have given me more than just a massive power surge. Anna charged, a black aura surrounding her body, and she spun extremely fast. How fast? Well, the concrete under her was shredded apart and thrown into the air. I felt the wind from her turning through my energy, and even felt it against my face. Honestly, it felt like a nice summer breeze.

The ground was shaking as she drew nearer; her power wasn't that bad actually. However, the fact that she had to use a move to make the ground shake, when all I had to do was stand there, showed me who currently possessed more power. Honestly, I wondered is she was suicidal. She was charging me, but even she could tell the level difference of our powers. Crazed, desperate, stupid, any assortment of those words would describe her. Only one way to die, and I found it a sad thing. You can only kill someone once, and it hurt me right where my heart was. After all, some people deserved much, much more.

Anna was about to smash into me, and all I did was hold out my right hand and let Anna collide with it. It had more force than I expected honestly. I even brought out my other hand, and used it to reinforce my other hand. Eventually, either because her momentum was lost, she ran out of energy, or she just gave up, but she stopped spinning. **"Not bad."** I told her, looking directly into her eyes. **"But you have a long way to go before you could even come close to my level."** I told her, slashing five dark cuts across her face with my left claws.

Anna reeled backwards, hissing in pain and anger. Her tail came around, whipping with such a force that the building beside it just exploded with the force as it passed by. I caught it with my right hand, and then used my left one to cut off the small section. Anna twisted around on the ground, howling in pain. I slowly walked toward her, and planted my foot firmly on her head. Her head stopped moving, but the rest of her body was thrashing about**. 'Kit, I want you to say exactly what I say, right before you crush her head with your foot.'** Prelait thought to me, rather evilly. I was actually going to listen to her, which was what scared me.

I looked at her eyes, which were staring into mine with such an intense hatred that it should have scorched me to ashes where I stood. But it didn't and I was going to finish this. **"You know, you did have a future." ** I told her, saying word for word what Prelait fed me. **"However, you were too ambitious. You would have been good for enforcing rule, keeping people in line. However, you got too greedy didn't you? That, and you never did get over Olero dumping you did you?"** I said, and then recognition and intense fear and fury claimed her eyes, as she looked up at me. She knew now. **"Sad really, not being able to get over a man. One of the reasons I found you so weak. I'll see you in Hell. Say hello to the ruler for me, would you?" ** I asked, and then I smashed my foot as hard as I could with it already on her head, and her entire head imploded. Her body quit squirming. I felt the energy in me recede, returning to the source. I felt weak, honestly. Oh well, it isn't like I planned to match a demon in raw power.

I walked past the corpse, and walked toward Hokara and Karell. The demons parted as I made my way through them. They didn't even appear stubborn, what I had just done was etched into their minds, they feared me. They would outlive me, but they feared me. I had gained their respect. Lufia walked over, and cut the bonds holding Hokara and Karell. Hokara just stood up, still a little shocked, but she hid it. Karell stood up, and rubbed his wrists. "Damn! Cut off my circulation for I don't know how long! Naruto, what took you so long?" He asked, stretching a little.

"Sorry, had to not drown, find the direction you guys went, had to track you the entire way, had to rest every time I got tired, avoid getting little cuts from trees, and the splinters they had, and then I had to come here." I told him stoically. Most of it was a lie I know, but they were possible threats. Of course, I'm not including the trees. I could have disintegrated those any time I got close to them. Ok, about all of it was a lie.

"How did you protect your vital signs while in that condition?" Hokara asked me, still a little uncertain, as though I wasn't real. Even though I had just killed someone, she thought I might not be real. Cute really.

"I have no idea; we will call it 'Naruto is one lucky bastard.' I think it fits, don't you?" I asked her, a small smile playing along my lips.

"Well, we are leaving." I said to them. "I'm sick of this place. In fact, next time we have to go through here, we are going all the way around. I don't care how long it takes, I'm never entering this place again. By the way, do you two have any idea which way we have to go?" I asked them. Both of them passed me a negative, and I wanted to curse rather loudly. Only one thing stopped me.

"I know the way out. By the way, have we met somewhere before?" Lufia said, standing next to Hokara.

"No, unless you count the fight we had earlier. By the way, will you guide us out of here?" I asked her, actually hoping for this. It would be better than guessing, and, hopefully, everything else will leave us alone.

"Exactly where do you want to go?" Lufia asked, and I noticed that the other demons were disappearing. Going back to whatever they do I guess. I also noticed she decided not to pursue whatever was on her mind.

"Well, we are heading to Fragle, no, frugal, no fragile…damn it Karell, what was the name of the village we were going to?" I asked him, just a little frustrated.

"Naruto, do you mean 'Frigenkle Village'? Yes, that is where we are heading." Karell told me, before looking at Lufia, with what I could only call 'uncertainty.' "Tell me, can we trust you to lead us to it.

"No." Lufia said casually, as though she didn't care if he lived or died.

"There, we have it. She won't lead us; let us at least try to get a direction out of here." Karell muttered, still not surprised. What does it take to surprise this guy?

"You misunderstood me." Lufia said, straightening up. "I won't guide all of you. I will guide him,' she said that pointing at me "through the forest. If you two follow, it is your own choice."

"All right, how come you are only guiding me through the forest?" I asked her, wondering what was going on. Something didn't add up.

"Simple, by all the agreed terms, you are my master now." She said, as though it was nothing to her but a walk in the park. "You beat Mistress Anna, even if it was after a while, you still beat her. The agreement was that I become your slave, and I will do anything you ask me to."

I have to say, at the sound of that, I will admit it, some dirty thoughts plowed through my mind, and it took all my willpower to keep my face from turning red, while I was forcing my mouth not to tell her to do anything. Something told me no matter what I told her to do, she would do it. Great, I just have to hope that the two of us are never alone, or I might ask her to do something I would regret. "Well, will you take ma, and my companions, out of this forest and to Frigenkle Village?" I asked her. A sudden wave of dizziness hit me, and I did everything I could from wobbling, I could barely stand up.

"By your command" Lufia said, and then proceeded to walk forward.

"Wait, I have one more thing to ask of you." I said, barely able to see straight at this point. "You see, I'm about to pass out. Lufia, if it won't bother you, would you please carry my body as well. I don't want to wait too long."

She stopped and turned around. "By your command." She said, walking over to me.

"One last thing," is said, barely able to keep the darkness from dominating me. "Call me by 'Naruto' and nothing else. I don't want you to think I completely control your life. I'm still granting you a limit of freedom." I told her. I wasn't going to give her complete freedom yet; I need to make sure she won't backstab any of us. Enough freedom not to be a captive though. I let the darkness consume me, and I dreamed.

I was a small child. I was nursing a bruise from earlier; the shopkeeper I had stolen from had caught me. Wait, when did I steal, and more importantly, why was I a young child? I splashed some water in my face, and saw my reflection in the puddle. Four features shot out at me, the magenta eyes, the whiskers, the cat ears, and the red hair. I was in Lufia's body right now? She is a lot younger though, and definitely not as scary as she is when I met her.

She had stolen some fish, and been caught. Had the crap beat out of her as well, but only half-heartedly. Honestly, the shopkeepers felt sorry for her. She knew it, but they couldn't just give her food either. Well, not exactly sorry, they feared her. She has been in this town, barely surviving for who knows how long. She was abandoned at a young age; she couldn't even remember her parents. The shopkeepers were scared her parents would come back.

She took only what she needed to live, feeling a certain amount of…pride that she didn't completely fall. She was proud of herself for still having some sort of honor, even though she was a thief. She refused to kill, and only took what was essential for her survival. I was a little amazed she found pride in this. It gave me a little respect for her.

I searched through her mind, and found out why she even allowed herself honor when she had to be a thief. It was because she was abandoned. She hated it, and felt that it was a horrible thing to do. Ever since she could remember, she had carved a code of honor in her blood, her flesh the living proof it exists, and her spirit the shackle chaining her to it. She kept this honor, no matter what happened, no matter what would befall her, she wouldn't break it.

However, one day, she would have to run for her life, and run fast. It was in winter, she was really glad that she had her tail to curl up with, or she would have completely hated her life. Her tail helped her feel warm. She woke one day to a corpse however, and this scared the crap out of her. It was that of a boy, no older than six, just laying there, dead. She poked him a couple of times, to make sure, and she could tell he was dead. When this hit her, she backed up against the brick wall right next to her in the alley she slept, and did her best not to cry out. A tear or two slid down her face.

The boy had raven-like hair, and even in the horrible light, she could tell the certain sheen it had, he had blue eyes, eyes that were now cold and vacant. There was a pool of…black? Yes, it was definitely black blood. But, blood was red, all of it. She saw a blood trail, all of it black. It was leading into the alley, and it appeared the boy had staggered about with all the blood around the place. He had on no shirt; it appeared to have been torn off. His pants appeared to be hanging by a thread, it was too dark to tell what color it was. It as easy to tell what had killed him. There was a bite mark at his throat, one of his hands was still there, and blood was still pouring out of it. However, he was completely white, been dead for a while. It should have been impossible for him to still be bleeding.

Then it just…stopped. As though something was keeping the rest of the blood in. She screeched at what she saw next, and personally, I screamed as well. It was probably a good thing she couldn't hear me. His arm had moved. His head twisted till it had a full view of her, and he let out a small moan. Then he slowly started to shamble towards her, crawling, as though his legs didn't work. She saw why, his legs stayed behind him, while his upper torso kept crawling toward her. She let out a scream, and then got up and did the smartest thing: She ran. She burst out of the valley, and almost froze when she exited; it was a good thing that she kept moving.

How had she not heard any of this? That was my biggest question. Explosions were sounding all around, exploding tags and traps at work. I saw those pale faced things walking around, attacking any living creature they could find. She had witnessed a lot of horrors that day. She saw someone take a kunai, and the person was surrounded, stab themselves through the heart and twist. The pale faced creatures didn't care, they still ate her, and the sound of ripping flesh could be heard quite distinctively. If I could, I probably would have thrown up. Lufia did just that, but she ran while she did it, almost destroying her stomach.

She saw a ninja backed up against a wall blast some of them apart with a weird jutsu that turned the ground into spikes. It impaled the creatures, but they still squirmed, still wiggled about. Only a couple of them stopped, and they only shared one thing in common: One of the spikes had gone straight through their head. However, he became surrounded, and did the only thing that seemed like an option. He climbed the wall behind him, and jumped onto the roof which seemed like a safe place. At least until he jumped on top, only to be tackled by one of the creatures back onto the stone below, where the rest of the creatures devoured him. His screams an eerie haunting sound.

She was still running, making sure that she dodged the creatures that were everywhere. Just what the Hell are these creatures?! Maybe I should ask the question: From which Hell did these things spawn? She saw people she knew, shopkeepers that beat her walking as one of those creatures, and even attack someone. Something grabbed her leg, and she lashed out in a panic. Claws extended, she severed a white arm that had grabbed her leg, and continued running. Blood had gotten along part of her side, but she was too worried about surviving this hell hole than anything like that. The blood was black, I noticed.

The creatures were everywhere, and they were overwhelming. Most of all, they seemed impervious to any psychological assault. Fear didn't appear to be a word to these creatures. I even saw one ninja what I thought was a genjutsu. It did more damage than anything. A white light shot into one of the creatures, her companions almost grinned. It was as though they expected this to give them the answer. The girl who fired the whit light suddenly arched, and then gave a scream with no sound; it was a really haunting thing. Then she turned pale white faster than I could ever hope to blink, and bit one of her companion. He screamed, and then the other one hit them with an exploding tag, which blew them apart. It also blew up the wall. Plenty of the white creatures surged out, and overwhelmed him before he could do anything else. Lufia still ran. She would have liked nothing more than to help these people, but she couldn't fight, she couldn't do anything.

Three creatures stepping front of her, and she had a surge of fear shoot through her. She stopped, paralyzed by it. They surrounded her, and just seemed to grow in numbers. They were getting closer. I know I wasn't really here, but fear was surging through me as well. Damn it, someone help her! She was small and alone! Why didn't anyone help her?!

I got my answer, as I heard flesh being torn and someone, a man, screaming. Even if they wanted to, they wouldn't be able to help her at this point. I felt bad for her, and wanted to help her desperately. However, I was only a spirit in this place, nothing I did mattered. However, when I think about it, she is alive today. So, someone or something had to save her. Right?

They were closing in, and she twirled around and slashed like a maniac. A couple lost appendages, a couple even fell over and stopped moving. However, there were too many for her to do anything about. In fact, she slipped, and fell. I saw what happened; some of the black blood had made her slip on the cobblestone. Alright, this is where someone comes in and saves her right?

They were closing in, pushing over one another in fact, to get first bite. I waited, and time seemed to slow down. They were getting too close; I don't think anyone was coming to save her. The only other sound besides the mind destroying moaning was the sounds of screaming, sobbing, begging, and the sound of tearing flesh. I didn't hear explosions anymore, or the sound of metal cutting flesh. It seemed as though everyone had given up, and was just accepting their death.

Honestly, rage filled me. Damn it! Someone save this little girl! I heard the sound of the building right next to her exploding, and then I felt a pull. I was on top of a building, looking down in fact. I wasn't in Lufia's body anymore. Was I back in my world? If so, what the hell was I doing on top of a building? I looked down, and saw Lufia spinning around slashing at anything that came close. Did time just get reversed? Then she slipped on the cobblestone, and fell. The dead swarmed. Power swelled up inside of me.

The building I was on exploded at the unexpected power surge, I was at the power of three tails. I fell, screaming my rage at the creatures. Most thought left me, usually I would ask how or why, but I didn't. I was too busy trying to save a little girl. I smashed into them with a great force, barely missing Lufia. The creatures were no match for me, my three red tails cleaved through most of them, and the others, well, the force of my landing sent them flying was the only thing I could guess. They just disappeared. When the area was clear, I walked over and picked Lufia up. And held her close to myself. She was trembling, fear was probably pouring through every inch of her skin. "Shh…it'll be ok." I told her, walking in the direction she was running previously. Any of those creatures that came near me were hacked to bits by my tails.

"It is all right little one, I am here. I'll protect you." I whispered in her ear. Then she buried her head against my shoulder, and started to cry. I didn't stop her. I ripped off a couple pieces of my jumpsuit, they were small orange things, and stuffed them in her ears so she wouldn't have to listen to these sounds. I knew these sounds were going to be with me for the rest of my life. I hoped she wouldn't be traumatized by this, but I did what I could. I made sure she couldn't see what was happening, I couldn't do anything else. I found this strange. Whenever I had one of my tails go attack one of the zombies attacking someone else, it would pass through them as if I didn't exist. However, when one shambled after Lufia and me, my tails could cut them cleanly in half. This puzzled me. However, I doubted I would get an answer.

I saw the edge of town, where we would be home free. I kept walking. Lufia had stopped crying, but she wouldn't lift her head either. I didn't blame her; I wouldn't want to watch the place I grew up in go down, not like this. I was able to walk out of the town, no one tried to stop me either. Not like they could, not with all those creatures becoming some sort of infestation. I walked for I don't know how long. I looked back, and only saw an bright red and orange flame, with thick, black, billowing smoke rise from the ashes, warning all to stay away. We were far enough away.

I set Lufia down. She appeared scared, and ran back to me, trying to climb back up onto me to get safety and warmth again. "Please, please!" She cried out to me, and it was painful for me to tell her to go away, especially because she was such a young age.

"Look, you need to go." I told her pointing to the road. "Go find a town, re-supply, and keep going. Don't stop. Get as far away from this nightmare as you can. I will find you again; you can be sure about that. However, I need to go finish those creatures. Please, don't come back with me to that Hell. I will find you again, I promise you that much." I told her, a little sad. I don't know why, but she seemed so innocent, I hated doing this to her.

She stopped trying to climb up me, and then looked at me, and her Magenta eyes seemed so…trusting. "Do you promise to find me again?" She asked.

I gave her a warm smile. I pulled out the two strips of orange cloth in her ears. She just stared at me, completely trusting. Full of innocence. Nothing as pure and trusting as a child, at least, in my opinion. "Tell you what. These two orange strips, they will be my promise to you. If you keep these two strips I will find you again, no matter what. Through sleet and storm, through desert and heat, through any obstacle. I give you my word. Also, if you want me to find you, you must become strong. Strong enough to take care of yourself, train your body and mind. Don't become a victim to these types of scenarios again. Now go." I told her.

She walked away, still wary of her surroundings, but she gripped the two orange slices of cloth as though her life depended on them. To her, they just might have. However, I walked towards the village. Then I saw a pillar of light in the distance, streaking directly for me. Time to wake up, I guess. I don't think this was one of those dreams where I dream about someone's past, after all, I can't make a physical manifestation of myself in those dreams. This was just a realty strange dream I had. The pillar hit me. I didn't bother trying to avoid it.

I was being bounced around. I woke up, and the first thing I realized was that we were out of the swamp, and on some grasslands. I groaned a little, and realized that someone was carrying me. "It is about time you got up, master." I heard Lufia say, and suddenly I was dropped.

I woke up pretty fats after that. I landed on my feet, and I only told Lufia one thing: "Don't call me master, call me Naruto! That is an order." I told her, a little stubbornly I might add.

"As you wish, Naruto." She said, not even looking back at me. Now I have to question if holding her on any sort of leash was a safe thing. She was going to either become really fun to be around, or a major pain in my ass. Whichever one it was, my life was going to get even more interesting again.

"Ah, there it is." Karell said, on top of a hill I was currently climbing up. "Frigenkle Village. Finally places to rest, eat, and get supplies."

"Places to avoid, tread carefully, and not go near." I heard Hokara mutter, as she walked next to Karell.

Lufia was at the top of the hill next, followed shortly by me. I looked down at the village. The walls were made of stone, a better defense that the wood ones Konoha has, however, other than that, it seemed like any other old village.

"You know, this is the place I grew up." Hokara said, from out of nowhere.

Ok, maybe It wasn't like any other old village.

General Badaxe- Well that ends this chapter. Xardoth, I will comment now. Thanks for answering the Japanese/English question better than everyone else. It sort of helps, but I still don't like it. As for Hokara, honestly, her looks are from one of my friend's favorite games of all time. It is on PS1; try to guess the game or character. I'll give you a hint, it is from game 2 of 4, but the third and fourth games were cancelled. My friend still bitches about that. Her personality however, I came up with that one from scratch. Alright, now that that is over, I guess I will end it. This will be one of the few times I will end it on a pretty happy note. (This is one of the few times I do this, so you might as well enjoy it while you can.) I would like to wish everyone reading this Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, Happy New Year's, and to all a good night. May the people you meet give you inspiration in your life, and live full and happy lives. Most importantly, have fun. These are joyous times; you should be happy and smile. Don't let anything get you down, believe in yourself. With that, I bid you all farewell until I get off my lazy ass and write again.


	7. Chapter 7

General Badaxe- Than goodness, almost no reviews and on top of that, I don't really have to answer anything. Well, I suppose I am able to give individual responses because of this. **Mr.Shooter **I am updating, don't worry. **Evil Fang**, honestly, demon Naruto turned out better than I thought he would be. I thought I would mess up somewhere. **Suiadan**, yeah, this will, I hope, be an interesting chapter. **Xardoth**, Yeah, I enjoy the new member as well. Indeed, I was toying with the idea of killing her, or just having her disappear. But why not? It will give the group another problem, you will see. As for her learning, read the fic. You will find out, eventually. Thank goodness! Short A/N's again! On with the fic!

Karell and I whipped our heads toward her. I know I was shocked, it was probably showing on my face. I know it was on Karell's, he was on the other side of Hokara. His face was pretty funny when he was thoroughly shocked. "What?!" I said out loud, surprise was definitely evident in my voice. If I was any drowsy before, I know I was fully awake now.

Hokara appeared a little irritated. "I said: This is the place where I grew up. Is that hard to conceive?" She asked us, definitely a little irritated

."Do you really want to hear the answer to that?" Karell asked her, getting sort of lame face on. "Because if you want, I will answer honestly for you, I can promise you that much at least." He said, with a small amount of scorn in his voice. Oh great, just what we need, Karell and Hokara going at each others throat.

"You don't have to supply an answer to the question; I don't feel the need to listen to some guy who brandishes a sword to compensate." She said, ice flooding her voice.

Karell's eyes started to blaze. "Compensate, compensate for what?!" He said, rather loudly. He obviously knew the meaning, why did he ask such a question. "At least I am unafraid to give people my name! Calling you Blue, what kind of name is that?! Is your real name that hideous? What, does it mean something stupid!?" His voice was harsh, and I was starting to get a little worried. I don't really want those two to kill each other, they still had their uses.

Hokara's eye's started to become a raging inferno, no longer the ice I usually see when she is angry. "My name is sacred you fucking moron!" She whispered to him, in a really harsh sounding voice. "I would never tell someone like you my name, someone who can only think of fighting to the death as a thrilling experience, because you don't like life at all. Something horrible in your past, you don't like to admit it exists, as such, you throw yourself into battle, each one, hoping it will be the one to finally end your pitiful existence!" She was yelling at him this time. I noticed a flash of pain go through Karell's face, before he came back with a sharp retort of his own.

This was getting more intense than usual, honestly, I was starting to think blade and energy would be drawn. "Master, are they always like that?" Lufia asked me, I didn't realize she had gotten that close to me, she was about a hand spans length away from me. "If so, I think this trip is going to be a lot tougher than I thought." She said, letting out a deep sigh.

I decided to talk to her, I didn't really want to listen to those two argue about something they hated to acknowledge. They hated to think about their own faults, which both of them were slamming in each others faces right about now. It was going to get ugly, and pretty fast at that. "Yes, they are like that, not all the time, it usually isn't this serious. Just some joking around, this is more serious than before though, so I don't know how long it will last. Another thing, stop calling me 'Master' call me 'Naruto.'"

Lufia gave me a queer look, and then said with a sigh, as though I was slow in the head and needed explaining to. This offended me a little bit, but I wouldn't make a big issue about it. "Look, I can't call you anything but 'Master'. I can call you anything else but it all translates back to 'Master' for me. You are my master, nothing will change that. As agreed, I am your to command, no matter what I think." She told me. Was it just me, or did she have some…pride in her voice? I must be imagining things; there shouldn't be any pride in being someone's slave.

"Lufia, you don't have to be my slave." I told her, a small smile on my face. Giving someone else freedom, well, why not. It isn't like I need her anyways. "If you want to, you can go free. I won't command you, or anything else."

Lufia turned her face to stone, to hide any emotion that might possibly show through. "So, are you telling me you want me to leave? You want to get away from me. What about me is so repulsive that you feel the need to get away from me?" She asked me. Something about her voice made me think before answering. There was something about this situation I wasn't getting. I'm not good on demon lore, time to talk to the expert inside of me.

'Prelait, what about this entire situation am I not getting?' I asked her, wondering what was going on. 'With the way Lufia was acting, you would think I was offending her.'

Prelait chuckled a little softly. She didn't answer my question, even though I waited a good five seconds. I heard her chuckle again, and I think I heard her hiccup. 'Prelait, what are you doing in there?' I asked her, becoming a little concerned. Even when she was joking around, she hasn't acted like this before.

'What?' I heard her say, rather sleepily. 'Kit, why are you bothering me right now? I was having a nice nap. Well, hurry up, what is your problem?' She asked me. Before I could answer her, she talked again in a dangerous voice. 'By the way kit, you had better of woken me up for a good reason. I would hate it if you woke me up just for talk.' Something about her when she said that chilled me. Then she talked again, in a rather perky voice, as though she had never threatened me. 'So kit, what would be your problem?'

Other than the demon living inside of me? 'Well Prelait, it goes like this. Right now, Hokara and Karell are going to kill each other at this rate, but tat isn't the problem. The problem is that I have offered Lufia freedom. However, she is acting rather strange about it; she blocks her emotions when asking me about it, and such. What is the problem?' I asked her, feeling a bit fed up. I didn't like the problems going on through my life, some of them were confusing and the other ones were just plain weird.

'Do you really have to ask me that question?' Prelait asked me, in a questioning voice, as though I should know the answer to this one. 'Well kit, since you haven't really known demon lore, I will assume that you don't know. However, if you must know, it is considered a great honor for a demon to serve another, more powerful demon.'

'Prelait, in case you can't tell, I am not exactly a demon.' I thought to her, trying to absorb what she had just told me. 'Not to mention, I am not exactly someone who looks intimidating.'

'Kit, when did I say you had to be intimidating? The King of the Netherworld looks to be about thirteen years old, not that intimidating either. However, being one of his vassals, it is a great honor some demons would kill each other for.' She told me, rather coolly. 'And face it kit, it doesn't matter if you are human. The demons in the forest, they witnessed you while you were using demonic chakra. As such, they think you are actually a powerful demon, who is just disguised as a human. Lufia thinks the same. Don't bother trying to tell her you aren't, she won't believe you. However, because of this, she thinks you are calling her really weak, worthless, and dishonoring her greatly. The only way out of this is to fully discharge her, and have her skulk away with a broken spirit. Or, you could just accept her as your slave. Either way, try not to bother me when I am sleeping, I might seem a little…irritated at first.' Prelait thought to me, letting me sink all of this into my mind. 'Night kit.' She said, before I heard her yawn pretty loudly. Then she disappeared, probably went back to sleep.

Well, I was assuming what Prelait said was true. So, if I told her she wasn't my slave, it will be considered one of the worst insults you would give a demon? Well, at some point, demons need to change their way of life. I let out a deep sigh. My life never has, never could be, and never will be considered normal. "Well?" I heard Lufia ask me in the same voice as before, completely neutral, not feeding me any emotion.

I sighed a second time. This is strange playing through my head; I can only imagine how weird it will be when I actually say it. "Well Lufia, I have thought about it." I told her, making my voice as neutral as I could. I really hoped I played my cards right here. I let out a sigh, and then said "You can stay as my slave. I wouldn't have any one else." Mainly because I don't like the thought of slaves, but I wouldn't tell her that part.

She kept her little neutral face on. However, I did notice a small sparkle in her eyes. "Do you mean it, I am allowed to stay?" She asked me. I think I heard a small amount of hope in her voice. I couldn't be sure though, she really didn't want to reveal how she felt to me right about now.

"Yes Lufia, I don't mind if you stay as my slave." I told her. I still didn't like that word. "However, I want you to know you are allowed to make your own choices. I don't want to completely rule your life. If you must call me 'master' then so be it, I'll deal with it." Heck, I put up with Prelait calling me kit. "Also, I don't want to interfere on you personal matters, such as what you can eat, if you get a boyfriend, etc. etc. So, will you stay?" I asked her. I had a pretty good idea what the answer would be, but I wanted to show her she was allowed to make her own choices.

She decided to have some fun with answering, or something. I don't exactly know what she was thinking about. She went into a small thinking pose, and then started to walk around me. Sort of like an eagle circling her prey, that would be the best generalization I can come up with. She circled about three times, before stopping in front of me. Her face softened from the stone mask from earlier, and let out a smile. "Funny, even having to ask me that question." She said, closing her eyes. Suddenly, she opened them, and flung herself at me at the same time. Well, I was caught off guard, I mean, completely off guard. I didn't even move. She wrapped her arms around me, into a bone crushing hug. "Silly master, you know the answer. Of course I will stay."

Someone really had to talk to demons about encouraging slavery like this. Then again, that would require someone getting close to them. Most people wouldn't, not that I blame them of course. Demons are people I wouldn't want to mess with either, but it was happening anyways. Now then, on to my current predicament. Lufia was hugging me, for emotional support or some other thing, I have no idea. However, my entire body sort of froze up into one solid and uptight being. Why would my body do that? Well, this hug wasn't like a normal hug, I don't know why it felt different, but it felt more intimate than any other hug I have had. So, shock and embarrassment were keeping me from moving. I felt my face grow hotter, usually I would think we were riding into a desert, but this time, I knew better. That, and she had her entire, yes, her entire body pressed up against mine. I thought my body was going to react, making one heck of an embarrassing situation. "Um, Lufia? Would you mind, you know, letting go of me?" I asked her, my voice was a little haggard. I didn't like the sound of that.

"Aw, is my little master embarrassed?" She whispered into my ear, I know she had a smile on her face while she said that. I was starting to consider taking back the small freedom I had given her. I won't though; I don't exactly want a mindless drone in my group. However, as far as I could tell, I was going to regret this. Well, what is one more regret in life? Not much in my book.

"Is this going to happen every time I decide to have an argument?" I heard Karell say, and then I did notice that he and Hokara weren't yelling at each other anymore. Why is it that my most embarrassing moments happen every time I try to help someone out? "You know, like that, I could mistake both of you for lovers. I don't think this is the case, unless you want to tell me something Naruto?" He asked me, a small knowing sound in his voice. Don't kill him, he is only joking. I was thinking this for his sake by the way.

Lufia sprang away from me as Karell said that, her face turning a little red as well. I had to resist the urge to say 'Aw, is my little slave embarrassed?' I had to resist pretty badly as well, I probably would have said it, except I know my face was red as well. "Karell, there is nothing going on between us. You know that." I told him, in as neutral of a voice as I could muster. I hope it was a good one.

"Yeah, sort of like I caught you and Blue hugging in the forest?" He asked me, with another smile on his face. He had better enjoy tormenting me while he can, it won't last long. I just have to make sure I don't kill him. I was seriously contemplating this though. Especially when I saw Lufia appear to take an interest in that little fact, until her face went to a stones, not betraying anything. I saw a glint in her eyes, she wanted facts. Great, Karell, do you ever shut up? About every fiber of my being was telling me that there was danger around here, and that sadly, it was coming from both of my female companions.

"Karell, could you come with me for a second?" I asked him, walking back the direction we came from, I was assuming the forest was that way. I heard his footsteps; his were different than normal people. He treaded lightly on them, able to switch direction mid-step, able to enter battle in half a second, able to alternate how he acted. He had trained his body well, I know that. However, my own footsteps sounded heavy compared to his, come to think of it, almost any ninja I have seen in my village didn't have that kind of footstep. At times like this, I know he acts stupid, acts like a complete moron, has fun. However, this instance tells me he is very dangerous. All that, and he keeps an aura of fun about him. Except in battle, I know that for a fact.

"What is it Naruto?" He asked me, when we were a good distance from the others. His voice was neutral, no longer holding the fun tone. He was serious, that is a good thing. "If you came to tell me about those things I said, I would like you to know-" He was saying, but I decided to cut him off.

"-That you wanted to talk to me about matters you think are important." I finished for him. How stupid did he think I was?

He looked at me; no surprise was on his face. "So, you knew." He said, not in an accusing tone, a knowing one, like my own.

"Yes I knew." I told him, staring at him. "You enjoy teasing, you enjoy life, however, you aren't stupid. Accusing you of stupidity is in itself stupid. You wanted to talk to me away from the others, you did this by trying to get me pissed off, I went along with it, now what do you want to talk to me about?" I asked him, folding my arms across my chest. This was going to get pretty serious, and pretty fast.

"Well Naruto, this village, won't be very…hospitable to us." Karell told me, fingering his Katanas hilt; I wish I knew why he did that all the time, it was sort of unnerving. "I'm saying this because of Blue. She has a good heart, and God knows she helps make this an interesting journey. However, you know how she used to live here?" He asked me. I consider that a stupid question.

"Karell, I was here when she told all of us she grew up here. I know she used to live here, but I don't know personally how she lived here. I don't think you know either. Get on with it, we don't have all day." I told him, rather gruffly, in a voice that definitely wanted answers.

"Well, she was kidnapped a while ago from this place. As such, there is a reward out for her, about one million yen." He told me. I almost let my jaw drop, not because of the kidnapping; I knew about that, I was amazed at the amount of money. I managed to stay neutral, but barely. "However, no one is that big a fool. Anyone who brought her back would instantly be accused of kidnapping her, and put to death. She would be the ruler's daughter, he wasn't too happy when he learned she was kidnapped. The biggest problem would be, only her parents know her true name, and they won't give it up to anyone. Some strange rule of the village or something like that." Karell stated, a little passively.

"All right, what does that have to do with us getting supplies?" I asked him. "I don't really care about politics; I just want to get some supplies, rest up, and then leave. I might even browse through the scroll store. If they have one of course. If Blue leaves us, then so be it. I try not to control anyone's life." I told him. I had almost slipped and called her Hokara. She would have killed me.

"Naruto, think about it. We have to get supplies; do you honestly think Blue will stay back?" He asked me. It was one of the questions I didn't need to answer. "No, she has become an intimate member of this group, and likes to travel with us. Oh, she pretends to hate me, but she enjoys my company as well. She won't admit it of course. However, we won't escape to town without her. How many people in the world do you know with a light blue natural hair color?" He asked me. This was a question he wanted me to answer.

I looked around, realizing someone might be close. I didn't sense anyone; I am presuming it was safe. "Well, I can't say anyone with light blue hair. I know someone with bright pink hair color, I know someone with an indigo hair color, and I saw another person with an indigo color hair style, but I don't know anyone else." I told him honestly.

"That would be my point." He told me. He quit fingering his hilt, and instead, rested his hand on it, as though he was ready to draw it. "Think about it, unless we can convince her to put on a disguise, we will probably be found out. Also, if we do go inside of the town, we need Lufia to be in disguise as well, no one will take to a demon very well. Then, we need to get in there and out of there fast. No questions asked, no answers given." He told me, and I was amazed we had kept a serious conversation this long. Usually I can't with this guy.

"Karell, where did you get your information? I don't remember you going around gathering information, or meeting anyone who would look like a contact. How do you know for a fact?" I asked him, still a little wary about all the stuff he told me. I wouldn't put it past the guy to lie to me.

"Naruto, this is old information. I got it a couple years ago. I knew who she was when we first met her. I'm guessing that is why the bandits tried to kidnap her; they knew as well who she was. That much money, most people would go for it. Greed is a powerful tool, smart people know this." He said to me, and I would have to accept his information and source. I don't exactly have anything to prove him wrong. I will be cautious though, I would rather waste energy and be safe than risk anything else.

"Karell, thanks for the info. However, I didn't plan on staying long. You know I don't really like places where there are a lot of people. I'll stay on alert though." I told him, thinking everything through. I was also staying on alert for anything he would try to pull. We might have a couple problems. "However, if I may ask you something, you seemed really hurt when Blue accused you of being someone who dives head first into battle because you want your life to end. Would you care to explain?" I asked him.

Karell didn't even blink when I talked to him about it. When I asked him, he shrugged off the answer, and then told me "Naruto, I don't really want to tell you the answer to that. Something about my past I don't like to bring up, please don't ask me. I might get the balls to tell you eventually, but until then, I don't want to." He said it all, in a slightly wounded voice. It wasn't a pretty past, I could tell that much.

"Very well." I told him, walking over and lightly patting him on the shoulder. "Don't tell me. However, I don't want your past to come back to haunt you, if you seem like you are losing it, I will have to finish you." I told him.

He punched me in the shoulder, rather lightly. "Don't worry Naruto, if I do start to lose it, I expect one Hell of a fight from you. So, who do you think will win?" He asked me, a playful smile on his face. So, we weren't being serious anymore.

"Why are you asking such a simple question?" I asked him, laughing lightly. "It will be whichever one of us is more pissed off than the other one."

"Is that the truth?" He asked, another one of those questions you know don't need to be answered. "Well Naruto, until I go insane, I guess we will just have to play the battle in our mind, wouldn't you agree?" He asked with a battle anticipation smile on his face. I noticed his hand gripped his Katana a little tighter.

Adrenaline was starting to pump through me as well. "Karell, before our anticipation grows too much and we can't control ourselves anymore, we should back off. By the way, I need to smack you and leave a mark, so that the girls don't get suspicious about what happened back here." I told him.

He looked a little resigned, and then stood there. I accepted that as an invitation. I walked over to him, and hit him in the right cheek with my fist, not my strongest punch; I didn't want to launch him. He grunted when it connected. He even went backwards a couple feet. If that is what a punch like that is, my regular punch would probably snap his entire body in half. Well, that is the reason he made himself able to travel as fast as a God I suppose, to avoid taking the hit.

"Geez Naruto, why did you have to hit me so hard?" He asked me, rubbing his cheek. It was turning red; it was going to leave a deep mark. Well, he does have a lot of scars, what is one more mark that will eventually fade away? I wouldn't ask him, I didn't feel like getting hit.

We walked back to the rest of our group, Karell still massaging his cheek. I was happy nothing happened on our way to the camp, honestly, I haven't completely recovered. As we walked into the clearing where we left the two girls, and I must say, Karell and I both stopped and looked at the scene before us. What I saw, in as few words as possible, shocked me. I was pretty sure Karell was shocked as well, so shocked, that he had actually dropped the hilt of his katana. It swung on his side, unnoticed by him. You see, in front of us, was Hokara and Lufia, but this wasn't ordinary, you see, both of them were giggling! Hokara giggling! I never thought I would see the day, and Lufia, it doesn't do much for a demons image to see one giggling, let me tell you. I heard what they were talking about, and I truly wondered why they were giggling.

"So, where did you get this thing?" Lufia asked Hokara, holing a small part of Hokara's clothes in her hand. "I mean come on! Something that looks like this that yells at you for gawking! Where did you get it?" She seemed excited as she asked. I was definitely confused. She giggled a little afterwards.

"I found it at some port village. I can't remember the name, sorry." Hokara told her, a smile on her face. She giggled a little, and then asked her "Why did you decide to become a martial artist? I mean, of all the things, a martial artist! I would become one, except I don't usually need to fight." She said to her, in an excited voice as well. Yeah, that energy of yours can be a pain in the ass to fight, I know.

"You really want to know?" Lufia asked her, the smile never leaving her lips. I want to get something straight, they have no problem talking like this when we aren't around, but we would have an easier time convincing a goat to fly than talk like that to us? Then again, I don't exactly want to talk about where I got my clothes either. "Well, I became one so I could meet my hero." She told her, a dreaming look in her eyes. I almost choked on air after hearing that.

"Really? What is he like?" Hokara asked her, a curious look on her face. She has looked more human in these past minutes than our entire adventure together. I'm guessing that she didn't like Karell or me as much as she likes Lufia. "Why do you want to meet him so badly? Aren't you afraid that if you do meet him, it will destroy the perfect image you have of him?" She asked and I started to wonder the same thing.

Lufia still had a dreaming look in her eyes, as she told Hokara "Well, honestly, that is one of the reasons I want to meet him. I know he can't be perfect, but in my mind, he is. So, I feel that has to end. Also, he saved me. Saved me from a living Hell, and told me to grow stronger in body and mind. 'Don't become a victim.' That is what he told me. I have done my best, I hope to grown stronger. He promised to meet me again, when I was strong enough. I train in hopes of meeting him again." She still had dreaming eyes on, and she gave a slight sigh at the end of it, as though she thought it was a long ways off before she met him.

"You know, it sounds to me like you have a crush on a guy you don't even know." Hokara said warmly, and then as an afterthought. "You know, have you ever thought about how you might never see him again? I mean, the odds of you running into him again are pretty slim." Hokara told her.

"No, I haven't thought about it once." Lufia told her, a dreaming smile still on her lips. "I have absolutely no reason to. He made a promise, and he also gave me something to make sure that it is kept. I have no reason to doubt him." Most people wouldn't trust strangers, even one that saves their lives. Damn it, I didn't like where this was going.

"What did he give you?" Hokara asked her, voice full of curiosity. I didn't want to hear anymore, I had a pretty good idea about what those things are. I didn't want to know for one reason: if I did manage to travel in her dream, and change it, it means I have some sort of strange ability to mess with time. I don't want that, altering time, who knows the kind of damage I could do to the time stream. That and it means I am somehow gaining access to people pasts in my dreams, exploring them, being able to alter them. If that was true, my dreams would have to have one thing in common. What happened before I had the dreams? I know I gained their abilities, but how? I would have to figure it out later. Right now, I had to stop them from talking.

"You know, you are never like that when Karell and I are around." I told them. I must say, the reaction I got, was extremely satisfying. Both of them jumped backwards, away from each other, and both faces turned a little red. They both looked at Karell and me, while both of us looked at them. I had a grin on my face, and I was pretty sure Karell did as well. I was enjoying this, both of them were embarrassed, and life was good. Oh, I knew they would get me back, but as of right now, I was winning.

Hokara was the first to speak, and she did it in the old way she was used to talking to us in. "Why didn't you two alert us to your presence when you entered a vicinity close to our proximity?" I heard her ask us, in her neutral voice, trying to cover up.

I was pretty sure she asked us why we didn't tell her we were there earlier. "Well, we kind of didn't tell you because we didn't think about it, we weren't really sneaking around, and, I don't know about Karell, but I enjoyed listening in on your conversation." I told them, a grin still on my face.

Both of the women let out a sigh. It was nice of them to admit defeat. But, this pleasantry couldn't last. We had to go to the village, and that is that. "Alright, both of you know we are going to Frigenkle Village, so we might want to plan a little bit." I told them, walking closer. I didn't like to be about twenty yards away from each other; it hurt my throat to talk that loudly.

"What would we need to plan about master?" Lufia asked me, tilting her head to one side a little. It looked a little cute, but that wasn't really important.

She really had to ask? "Lufia, you don't exactly look human. I don't exactly want to have the villagers form mobs; we don't need trouble right now." I really hope she understood this. I didn't really want to order her around, but I would if I must.

Lufia giggled a little, surprising me. She calmed down, and looked me up and down. Then circled me again, a little like earlier. Then she stopped, and then nodded her head. "Silly master, I don't have to disguise myself at all." She told me, before laughing softly to herself about some joke I couldn't hear her say.

Now I was curious as well as puzzled. "Alright, would you please explain to me how we are going to convince the people you aren't a demon? I can't think of any human with your kinds of qualities." I told her, specifically, I looked at her tail and ears. I got stared at enough because of my whiskers, so I didn't worry about those that much.

Lufia wiggled one of her fingers at me. "Master, where is your sense of imagination? If you can't think about anything like that, getting me to seem human without looking like one that is, then I can pretty much imagine how you will react to my suggestion. I'm laughing already." She said, and as if to prove her point, she let out a soft chuckle. She had a strange look in her eyes. At a time like this, I wondered why I gave her a lot of freedom. She knew about the freedom, I had no doubt she would exploit it now.

I let out a sigh after I realized this, but I wasn't going to take her freedom away. Everyone should be free, and if it is like this, then so be it. I didn't have to enjoy it though, I never said that. "Alright, just what do you plan to do? Also, I would like to thank you for telling me I have no imagination, it is nice to know how you think of me." I told her, rather sarcastically.

I think I over did it, because Lufia's face paled, and then she got on her knees, and bowed her head. "Master, I'm sorry, I…I didn't mean to disrespect you. Master, I beg your forgiveness, I beg of you, please don't…don't strike me. Master, if you must, strike me, but please, I…I beg of you, don't release me. I don't want to be dishonored. Please, do anything you want, but…but please, don't release me, anything but that!" She said, sounding truly sorry, and meant what she said. I saw a tear sliding down her cheek. That is what scared me. I backed away from her a little at this. Was it that important to her?

Great, another moment where I have to act tender. I don't mind doing, when others aren't around to watch. Doing things like this in front of others, I didn't enjoy it. Well, I had to save Lufia, and that was more important than the small amount of pride I have left. I walked over to Lufia, and then I crouched down until I was eye level with her. She looked at me; her eyes were pleading, full of sorrow. I moved my hand to her cheek, and wiped the tear off of her cheek. "Lufia, I'm not going to strike you, release you, or punish you in any way shape or form." I told her. "Something about me you will have to get used to, I am very sarcastic. So, when I say something like that, it is to make you smile, not this. I never planned on releasing you anyways, I would miss you." I told her, a smile filling my face. Ok, I don't know if the last part was true. However, it was supposed to make her feel better, and that was what I was aiming for right now.

"Well, I know it is a touching moment and all, but I would like to hear what you were thinking about earlier. I want to know what your plan is." Karell said. I would like to thank him from stopping this moment from getting more intense. I don't need to keep giving hugs out, who know what one would lead to.

Lufia stood up, a confident smile donning on her face. I stood up as well, stretching my legs a little. It was uncomfortable crouching for any amount of time. Well, things could be worse; I would witness a demon crying right now. Geez the slave thing is deep in them. "Yeah, come to think of it, what was your plan anyways?" I asked her, curiosity becoming the dominant sound in my voice.

She looked at me, and grinned. A little wider. Now, it was stretching across her face. Whatever it was, I had a feeling it was going to involve me. That feeling wasn't one that told me to go with it either; it recommended jumping off of a thirty foot mountain onto solid rock instead. "Well master, about how old are you?" She asked me, her grin turning to one of mischief. I have worn the same grin, except more fox-like instead of cat-like. However, I only had that grin on my face when I was about to pull one of my better pranks. Things were not looking good right about now.

"Well Lufia…" I thought about it a bit, realizing I had skipped a birthday. Wow, time sure flies when you are in peril of your life. "I would say I am thirteen right now. However, what does my age have to do with anything?" I asked her, really becoming worried about the look in her eyes.

"Perfect." She said with a slight purr in her voice. She was looking me up and down again. "Indeed, perfect." She chuckled while purring. "Master, about how old do you think I am?" She asked me, still purring. Alright, my slave was really starting to scare me.

I looked at her, looking up and down. My eyes stayed on her chest area a second longer than they needed, which wasn't a good thing. Stupid perverted mind. "Well, I am guessing you are…sixteen is my guess." I told her, making sure I stared her directly in the face. I didn't trust my wandering eyes. I swear, whoever came up with hormones invented them as a joke to play on people, specifically, men. You rarely see a woman act like that. Well, then again, I can't really imagine them doing that either. Maybe it is just me. Whatever the reason, I'm not a God, I have no idea what they were thinking when they created this world.

Lufia had a sparkle in her eye, and she was still looking directly at me. She even giggled a little bit. Just exactly who, have I taken as a slave? "Master, you are close in one aspect, I am older than you. However, I am only fourteen, sorry to disappoint you. But master, you are about to become interested in older women." She told me, the same mischievous smile on her face. Alarm bells sounded throughout my system, what did she mean? You know what, on second thought, I don't want to find out. But, curiosity got the better of me.

"Lufia, just what are you talking about? What do you mean that I am 'going to become interested in older women?' I'm telling you right now, I don't like the sound of that." I told her, folding my arms across my chest to hide the insecurity I was feeling at the moment. There were few times that I was as scared of a demon as I was now.

She was grinning the entire time. "Well master, it is simple really. You see, I plan to hang all over you, like I was madly in love with you." She told me, with the same mischievous smile on her face, and I backed a couple steps away from her when I heard this.

"Alright, how is doing that going to make them think you are human?" I asked her, trying as hard as I could to understand what she said. That, and I will admit, I was trying to find a way out of that situation. Having someone hang all over me, really didn't sound too appealing. Well, it did sound appealing, but honestly, I wasn't used to love of any kind, even false. I wouldn't know how to react, let alone be. I'm afraid I will think it is real affection, become delusional. I don't want that. Getting scarred emotionally wasn't on my list of things to do.

"Simple master, they will create their own story." Lufia told me. "You see, humans are silly in the fact that they would like to live in their own comfortable little world. As such, they won't want to believe that I really am a demon that needs to be feared. Also, if Karell or Blue comments on how you enjoy foxes and cats, trust me, they will make up some crazy scenario most would see as impossible. They will think I am human, even when I look like this." She said, twirling once to show her entire body. I hated to admit it, but she had a point. People usually do think like that.

However, I wasn't about to tell her that, and try to convince her otherwise. I liked the plan, it was genius, however, I don't like the possible scar on my emotions it would leave. "Lufia, why would you rather do that than just disguise yourself?" I asked her, my arms still folded across my chest. I really hoped I was able to keep all emotions from my face; I didn't really want to let them know how I felt.

Unfortunately, considering she was a cat demon, I should have expected her response. "Yes master, I would rather hang around you like…like…like a love sick puppy." She spat that last word out, like it was some revolting, unknown curse word. Definitely a cat demon. Then, in a much nicer voice, she said "Master, are you embarrassed? Is that why you don't want to use my plan?" She had a knowing smile on her face, a devious glint in her eyes. She enjoyed embarrassing me, that was it, I just know it.

"You know, her plan does have some merit. Not to mention, we don't really have anything to disguise her with. I don't feel like going to that town, buying supplies that we would need to disguise her with, and then applying them. It would be easier and cheaper if we just went along with her plan, and she is right you know. People do act like that." He told me, a smile on his face. I would have believed that the reason he wanted me to go along would be to save time, money, and energy, except his smile was one of pleasure.

"You just want me to be embarrassed." I muttered at him rather angrily. He smiled a little wider. "I have a better idea, why don't you hang all over Karell? I mean it would work for him, I'm pretty sure people will come to the same conclusion." I said, really hoping that they would go along with that. It would work the same, I was pretty sure.

"Master, if I may speak my mind for a second?" Lufia asked me, looking at me for permission. Well, we have a long ways to go before she gets to thinking we are equal apparently. I nodded my head to her, indicating she could. "Thank you master." She said, bowing to me for a second. This was starting to bother me. "I don't want to hang all over him; those scars make him look ugly to me. I know he probably got them in battle, each one showing he has come out on top. But, that doesn't stop them from making them seem ugly to me." She said. I wanted to laugh, No wonder she asked me, she wanted it to seem like it was my fault she said that.

"Naruto, I also have my own abjections." Karell said, looking like Lufia had just smacked him. Wow, the remark about the scars must have hit home. "Naruto, I am twenty two years old, and in all honesty, I don't want to seem like a pedophile. Not to mention, no offence or anything, but the thought of a demon hanging on me isn't something I look forward to. I'm still scared she will be overcome by some bloodlust and rip me to shreds, and if she hung on me, there would be nothing for me to do to stop her." He said. He indicated the no offence thing to Lufia by the way, if you were too dense to figure it out.

"Blue, what are your views on the subject?" I asked her, in one last desperate attempt to try to help convince people Lufia shouldn't be hanging all over me. Really, she was my only chance, through some strange twist of divine wisdom, she would find a flaw in the plan I wouldn't be able to see.

Hokara still had a neutral face on. She then appeared to be thinking. "What do I think?" She asked. She looked at my face, and then got a slight grin on her face. It reminded me a little of the smile Karell had on his face. I had a bad feeling. "I think…" She lowered her head, and then came up with the exact same smile Karell had on his face. I was really worried at this point. "I think you and Lufia would make a very cute couple." Ever get the feeling every one in your group is a traitor?

I officially hated every single person in my group. "You know master; we sort of outnumber you three to one on this subject." Lufia said with a grin on her face. She enjoyed messing with me, I just know it. "So master, do you concede defeat?" She asked me. I was really thinking I had given her too much freedom.

I sighed out loud, what was I supposed to do? Fight over something as stupid as my pride? I'll deal with it. "Fine, I'll go along with the plan. However, at the first sign of danger, we are booking out of that town." I told them , walking toward Frigenkle Village. I'll admit, I was kind of hoping for trouble.

"By your command master." Lufia said, with her and the others catching up to me rather quickly. I wasn't looking forward to this. Well, nothing to do but make the best of the situation I am currently in. I just hope we don't have to hold this charade very long.

We were almost to the gates, and then suddenly, Lufia walked a little closer to me. So, she was beginning a little early? Or did she want to make an impression on the guards? Or did she just want me to be embarrassed? Probably a combination of them. "Lufia? What are you doing?" I asked her, and then I realized that we were close to the guards. To close for them not to have heard me since I didn't lower my voice. Well, I might have accidentally blown our cover before we even started. That has to be a record somewhere.

I know the guards heard me; they were looking at us, with a death threat in their eyes. I was used to the look; it didn't bother me at all. None of my companions even slowed down. Karell was used to danger, Hokara didn't let much besides Karell get to her, and Lufia, well, she is a demon. Enough said. Lufia also decided to play cover up. "What is it master? Is there some problem with me being close to you? Funny thing, you didn't care how close I was to you last night." She said, with a slight pout and hurt eyes. It didn't take brains to figure out what she meant by 'last night' with the way she said it. She had a lot of satisfaction sounding in her voice. I'll give her this much, she was a good actor. However, I was regretting that she was a good actor.

I know she was supposed to seem in love with me, but when did we agree to let them think we had sex? My face turned a little red at the thought. "It isn't like I had a choice." I told her, muttering a little bit, as though trying not to seem embarrassed. "You wouldn't exactly take no for an answer." I finished with a sour look on my face. The guards didn't change at all. In fact, if anything, they seemed more on guard now than before. One unsheathed a katana at his belt, and the other pulled out a strange weapon. It was long and thin like a rod, except on the end it had a curved blade with a serrated inside. What was that thing? Not something I want to be on the receiving end of, that much is sure.

"Halt strangers." The one with the wicked looking blade on a stick said. "Who are you and what are you doing here?" He asked, in a no nonsense sort of voice. "Understand we can't exactly trust people at the moment." Then he muttered something I barely made out. "We haven't exactly trusted people for about twelve years." I was guessing that was when Hokara had disappeared.

"Oh don't worry about us, we are only travelers passing through, we will be leaving in the morning." Karell told them with a warm smile on his face, and a pleasant sounding voice. "Well, we will leave in the morning if we can convince those two to get out of bed." He said, indicating Lufia and me with a laugh. Karell…My group was having too much fun with this little charade.

"Yeah, the last time we got them out of a bed we had to throw ice cold water on them, and they only stopped for about one minute. Then they got creative, and it took us a while to find a way to get them out. These two have way too big of an imagination, and way too much energy." I heard Hokara tell them, in an exasperated voice. I would like to know when my group got good at acting and improvising. And Hokara was helping. Hokara! I was going to have to review in my mind what these people were supposed to be like at one time. They were just messing up what I knew about them.

"Don't remind me about that incident!" I said, thinking of as many dirty things as I could to make my face grow red. "You know what we did, heck, she didn't mind letting every one in the Inn know what we were doing!" I said, indicating Lufia. I wondered how we were doing, but I wasn't going to look at the guards faces to check.

"I don't want to hear that from you." Lufia told me with a mischievous smile on her face. It was slightly indignant voice, but not enough for anyone to take her seriously about the hidden threat. "You enjoyed it as well. I saw your face the entire time; well, when I was able to control myself actually, for most of it you were driving me on the wild side, making it so I was unable to control myself. In fact, I remember that one time in the forest…" She started to say.

"Alright! We don't need to remember about that! It hurt me to do that, so it isn't one of my fondest memories. Where did you come up with the idea for that anyways?" I asked her.

"Well…" Then she looked at the guards. Then she giggled a little. "You know, maybe we shouldn't talk about that right now. The guards appear to be turning into tomatoes. Maybe we should talk about it somewhere else, maybe in the Inn, in a bed, under covers…" She let it trail off, with a mischievous smile on her face, and she was staring at me a little hungrily. I don't know how she pulled that one out, but then her eyes changed, her eyes were laughing, and she was definitely enjoying this.

I looked at the guards, and indeed, they were turning red. Very red, I was amazed they haven't passed out from heat exhaustion. Their grip on the weapons was shaking now, and I could only imagine what they were thinking about. I decided I shouldn't even try to imagine, just in case my face starts to get hotter than it already was. "Naruto, maybe it wasn't the wisest course of action to tell her you liked cats, in retrospect." Karell said. "You know, she only dresses like that because of that you know. However, I did notice that you didn't mind her hanging all over you afterwards…Oh!" He said, as though remembering the guards. He scratched the back of his head, and then asked the guards "Well, do you have any problem if we enter your village?" Karell asked them.

The one with the katana spoke this time. He had a less gruff voice, a little more used to using the tongue to get what he wants, that was my guess. "You can go in, just please, don't share with us those stories again. In fact, don't leave out of this gate. In fact, leave on the other side. I would also implore you to use the Inn room with soundproof walls."

"They have an Inn with soundproof walls!" Lufia squealed suddenly, making everyone look at her suddenly, even me. Since she was right next to me, it was a very loud squeal. "Perfect! There was something I wanted to try, however, I was too scared of us moaning too loudly and disturbing everyone! I would like to thank you for telling me about that!" She said, and she did appear grateful to the guards. She probably would have shook their hands or bowed or something, except right now she decided to clutch my right arm in both of hers, and rub her head affectionately against my cheek. I felt my face heat up a little. She was having too much fun in my opinion, for what was supposed to be used to get provisions and rest.

We walked past the guards, and then I heard them start talking. "Could you imagine what those two are doing? At such a young age! Out in the open! What happened to shame?" I heard the gruff one ask.

"If I recall correctly, your first time happened when you were about eleven years old, so you have no right to talk." I heard the silver tongue one say in a reprimand. "I just wish my wife was as energetic as those two seem to be. However, I feel a little sorry for the boy. I saw his face pale a bit when I mentioned the soundproof Inn."

"You know, that was probably the most interesting thing to happen to me in quite a few years." I heard the gruff one say.

"I would have to agree with you on that subject." I heard the milder guy say.

We walked a little bit, and into the city. It didn't appear to be very busy. Few people were out on the street. "Lufia, you can stop hanging onto me now." I told her, trying to shake her off.

She let go, and then started to laugh. "Did you guys see their faces? Oh the moment was priceless! If I got reactions like that, I could do this all day." She said, finishing with a chuckle.

"I have to admit, that went a lot better than the last time I came here." Karell said to us, and he muttered it in a dark voice. He didn't like it. "They made me strip down to nothing, and then one of them had to do a body cavity search! Do you have any idea how embarrassing it is to have an elderly woman reach her hand up your ass while searching for a dagger?! What person would keep a dagger up their ass?!"

"Karell, I don't know what to tell you." Hokara said, trying to stifle a giggle. "However, I would like to say, that you probably deserved it."

"BEFORE you two get into an argument again, I'm splitting." I told them. "The weapon store is calling me, and so is the scroll shop. Karell, want me to pick you up a sharpening stone or weapon polish?" I asked him.

"No thanks Naruto, my sharpening stone is still good, and I have some weapon polish left. However, if you could pick me up a concealed blade, I would appreciate it. I'll pay you later. I'm going to find an Inn. Meet me back here in…I'll say about two hours. Well, let's go." He said, grabbing Hokara by the arm. He started to drag her away.

"Exactly what are you doing?!" She yelled at him quickly, trying to keep her voice low so that she didn't sound panicked. "Let go of me!"

"Sorry princess." He said while dragging her around the corner. "No offence, but in this place, I can't exactly trust you to go on your own. Hope you understand. If not, well, you biting scratching and clawing me won't do much. Just don't kill me with the energy until we are in a place that doesn't have as many people in it." He told her. I heard Hokara unleash a couple words I definitely didn't want translated, and then I looked at Lufia.

She looked at me, and then said, with a smile on her face "Shall we get going?" She asked me, her mischievous smile spreading across her face. She had a dark glint in her eyes.

"What? Aren't you going your own separate way?" I asked her, actually hoping to have some time to be away from my group and reflect on what is happening. I didn't like this town; I got a bad and eerie feeling in this place. The felling felt…evil. Something about this town felt very corrupted to me. However, if I was going to find it, I didn't want anyone to be around me.

"Silly master, have you already forgotten that I am supposed to be infatuated with you? How are we supposed to reinforce that image when you are far away from me?" She asked me, a mischievous look still on her face. Part of the reason I wanted to get away was so you wouldn't enforce the image. I couldn't tell her about the evil I was feeling however. I guess I would have to put up with her.

"Fine, come on. We need to find the shops. Who knows how long it will take me to find a blade Karell would appreciate. Let's get a move on." I said, walking down a random street. I would have to ask for directions. Lufia got right next to me, not even a hand spans length apart. Whether this was to enforce the image, or just because since I was her master she had some strong affinity to be close to me, I didn't know. I wasn't about to ask, some things were better left alone.

We were walking down the street, and a lot of people were staring at us. Usually, I would think they were staring at me because of my whiskers; however, they were probably looking at Lufia and her assorted cat parts. Except for a couple men, who I noticed, weren't exactly looking at her appearance. They were settled on one, or two I should say, objects and didn't want to move their eyes. Men have nothing better to do right now, do they? Shouldn't they be worried about their girlfriends or wives? Possibly the job they are neglecting. I think Lufia noticed, because she wrapped her arms around my right one again, and was using my body to shield the front of hers from wandering eyes. So, she could be embarrassed as well.

We were walking down, and not as many people stared, and they would stare at or whiskers, Lufia's tail, or cat ears. She seemed a little embarrassed from all of the attention she was getting. She didn't mind when there was only a couple of people or two guards. I wonder why a lot of people bothered her. Possibly she didn't like being different, or the numbers remind her a little bit of her past when all those creatures attacked. I wrapped my arm around her protectively. She looked up at me surprised. I didn't look at her, I only saw from the corner of my eye. She calmed down a little after that, but she was still tense from all of the attention she was getting.

We continued to walk down the street, a lot of people just accepting us at this point. Some people only gave us a quick look over, as though we were common sites. Nice of them to try to act cool or impress their friends, but they were probably curious as well. Either way, I was a little grateful that they did this. I didn't really enjoy Lufia being uncomfortable. Probably because she was my slave, she relied on me a little bit. I guess I felt bad for her. Having to rely on someone like me, not good in my opinion. I'm not that dependable.

As we traveled down the street, there were a couple people that interested me. Most of the time they would observe me for about ten seconds, before going into an alley and then disappearing. Something was up, I know it. "Master, we are being watched." Lufia told me in a hushed voice. "I don't know by whom, but we were placed under observation since we entered the city. I think they might have been watching us when we were outside the gate."

"Really? I just noticed the watchers around us; I didn't know they were watching that entire time. Lufia, stay on guard, no matter where you go, or how safe it seems. This place reeks of corruption. I don't like it at all." I whispered to her, making it seem like I was kissing the top of her head. Secrecy was important at this point. Now, my only question would be, what would Karell want with a concealed blade? I know he isn't an assassin, but was he planning on killing someone? I couldn't imagine him getting rid of his katana, that thing belonged with him. Something was up; I wish I could figure out what.

"By your command, master. However, should we really find a weapon store? I don't exactly like the thought of visiting one in these circumstances." She told me, still whispering.

"Neither do I." I told her, still pretending to kiss her head. "However, it would seem odd and suspicious if we changed our plans in the middle of doing them. We have to run our errands. Anyways, I have to pick up some more weapons, I don't know how many I lost in the forest, and I had to use a couple before that, I need to get more. Anyways, why don't you do something you enjoy until then? Get away from me and do what you want." I told her.

"Something I enjoy?" She asked me, and I think I heard her smile at that. "Well master, I'll do something I enjoy. Then again, you don't like it much." She told me in a hushed voice. Great, I had a feeling I knew what she was talking about.

I found a place with a sign above it, on the sign was a katana. Under the katana, were the words: The Fighting Edge. Well, I was guessing that that was the weapon shop. Just a guess though. I walked toward it, Lufia was still holding onto my arm. Honestly, she did make me think of someone in love. "Where did you get so good at acting?" I asked her while we were walking toward the weapon shop. I kept my voice low; I didn't want anyone to hear me.

"Master, I won't reveal my secrets to you. I swore my loyalty, not my past." She told me, in as close to a reprimand as I would possibly get from her.

"You know, that is a good thing." I told her, and she got a confused look on her face. "You know, that you still have some fire and spit in you. That becoming my slave didn't turn you into a drone." I told her.

We entered the weapon store, and it didn't impress me. You had your weapons; they looked like they were half-assed honestly. None of the weapons gleamed; none of them appeared like they could carve into stone. They didn't look too reliable. However, I would have to get some. Not to mention, it isn't like I was going for quality, after all, all the weapons I wanted were used mainly for distraction. But for the concealed blade, now that would get a little tricky.

"Great, low quality merchandise." I muttered. Lufia still hung onto me, seeming a lot more comfortable now that we were away from the masses. I looked around, I found the kunai. They weren't the best, but the tip looked sharp, and they seemed to be able to take a couple hits. That is all I need them for. I picked up about fifteen of them, that is all they had. Sad really.

I walked to the shurikens, and was slightly repulsed of the shape of them. A couple of them were rusty, and others had one of the blades missing. I saw a couple where one blade was bigger than the rest and I even saw a couple which had the hold in the center twice the size it should be. I wasn't even going to buy these; they would be almost completely useless. Damn, looks like I'm still down to ten shuriken. That isn't a lot, but it is better than none, which I would have soon.

I walked to the concealed blades, and well, they were ugly, I suppose the word would be. None appeared to be able to last more than one encounter, the blade was too thin. A couple looked like they would snap coming out of the sheathe. This is the best they can offer? One caught my eye however. It was about half the length of the others, but the blade looked more refined. The sheathe was pure black, except for the bottom because it was covered in a golf film-like object, and small golden leaves traveled up it. I picked it up, a little heavy for a concealed blade, however, it was better than the rest, and it appeared to be able to last more than one fight.

I took them to the counter, where a middle aged man stood. He was built powerfully. He had huge muscles, but he didn't look too tough. Muscles alone don't win a fight. I laid the kunai and concealed blade on the table. He looked at me, and laughed a little before he said "Aw isn't that cute, the kid wants to play ninja." I resisted the urge to punch him.

"How much are these all together?" I asked him, trying not to growl it out. I didn't like this guy. I'm guessing it was the comment he gave me.

"I would say about eight thousand yen." He told me. Eight thousand for this crap?! I could get better stuff for cheaper in Konoha! Twenty eight kunai, and forty shuriken for three thousand yen, and those were a lot better. As an after thought, the guy told me "Tell you what, give me her," He said, indicating Lufia "And I will lower the price to seven thousand five hundred." This. Guy. Was. Joking. At least, he had better of been giving me some sort of sick joke. I pulled out eight thousand yen, and threw it on the counter. I grabbed Lufia by her arm, and brought her out of the store. I didn't want to imagine what would happen if I accidentally left her there.

Lufia and I both didn't say a word, she just clung to me like she was madly in love, and I continued down the street. I skipped the scroll shop; I doubted they had good stuff in there as well. In fact, I returned both Lufia and me to the place we agreed to meet up at. Karell and Hokara were waiting for us there. Hokara was giving Karell a death glare; she can't still be pissed at him about that, could she? Then again, she might hold a grudge.

"It is about time you two showed up." Karell said to us. "We have been waiting a long time for you two. Come on, it is going to get dark soon. We might as well go to the Inn." He told us, before getting up and walking away from the spot, in the direction they came from. Hokara got up, and followed him, simmering her anger silently.

Was that really Karell? He seemed rushed, not as laid back as usual. Something happened to him, but what could have happened? I need to find out, and quickly. I followed them, Lufia did as well, or should I say she was hanging on my arm the entire time? Either way, it is basically saying the same thing. We arrived at the Inn, no one spoke. I was a little…worried. It wasn't like Karell to stay silent this long, he seemed like he was harboring grim determination, something I was not used to seeing on him. Lufia was as worried as I was, she was casting both of our companions strange glances.

I decided to keep the hidden blade; I didn't trust it with Karell when he was like that. This bothered me a little bit. We walked into the Inn, and it mostly seemed normal. People were slowly trickling in and out, and waiters and waitresses were preparing themselves for the rush they knew was going to come. I pitied them a little bit; the rushes seem to be insatiable until it is very late at night. Conversations filled the air, too many to follow unless you were at the table it was happening at. Seemed like any normal Inn.

Lufia was still holding onto my arm, I forgot about this, until I was being dragged across the Inn, right to the desk where rooms were booked. Damn it Lufia, I almost tripped the entire way there! I wanted to have a word with her. "Excuse me miss," Lufia said, her voice cut through all the conversations like a knife, because it had a perky and excited ring to it. I noticed all conversation stopped, and in fact, the only conversations that resumed were the women's. If I looked over there, I was probably going to kill someone, so I did my best not to. I succeeded, but barely. "Do you still have that one soundproof room available?" She asked her, her voice was still excited, and a little tint of lust was added this time. Damn she could act.

The miss at the counter looked a little at a loss for words. She found her voice, and then, I think she forgot about her job, asked Lufia "Um miss? Is there a reason you are dressed like a cat?" She said it a little surprised, like she had never seen anything like it. Now, what are the odds of that? I wonder how she would react if a demon walked into this place.

"What?" Lufia asked her, genuinely looking puzzled. I noticed that Karell and Hokara were missing, it wasn't like them to disappear; this was turning very strange indeed. I was keeping my guard up. Then Lufia looked like she finally figured it out. "Oh! These cat parts? I had them surgically added to myself, lets me control them at will, see?" Lufia asked her, waving her tail around.

The desk clerk still looked a little skeptical. "But, why would you have cat parts added to your own? Not to mention, that must have cost you a fortune. Why would you do something like that?" She told her, as though Lufia was oblivious to something like that.

"I know it did, took me forever to save up for as well. In the end it was worth it, after all," She looked at me know, a happy smile on her face and a certain glint in her eyes. "Mater loves cats and foxes." She told her, happiness flowing from her voice.

The desk clerk's mouth dropped open, and then it twitched a little bit, as though it was trying to work properly. It finally worked; it just took half a minute. I still wondered where Hokara and Karell were. This entire situation was really starting to bother me. "Are you telling me that you spent that much money just…just so you can be with him?!" She yelled the last part, pointing at me. "Is he really that good?!" She screamed again, in a disbelieving voice.

Lufia's eyes flashed darkly, they weren't warm anymore. In fact, they were almost as cold as Hokara's when she was pretty ticked off. "Do you have the room or not?" I heard her ask the desk clerk, in a pretty calm voice. This scared me, especially with the look she was giving the desk clerk. I don't know how she stayed calm with that look on her face.

The desk clerk was definitely scared as well, she was literally shaking where she stood. Her face had gone pale so fast I thought someone might have killed her. Her voice quivered as she talked to Lufia. "Y..Yes it is op…open. Fo…For this c…cute couple, f…free of ch…charge." The desk clerk said. "F…Food is f…f…free as w…well."

Lufia changed instantly, she donned a warm smile, she didn't look like she was about to kill someone, and she seemed very pleased. "Thank you misses, now if you would excuse us, I would like to get rid of the rest of his energy, that way he can eat more, and get more energy for later tonight…" She said, letting the thought trail off, not even bothering to hid what she planned to do to me.

"We could wait a little bit." I told her, the thought of food sounded good right now. "You know we could use the break." I told her, feeling my face heat up slightly at the mere thought of what she implied. How her face didn't turn red every time, I don't know. It was something I was pretty sure I needed to find out.

"Master, let me take you to the room, and give me five minutes to convince you otherwise. I'm pretty sure you won't tell me no." She said, a small hint of a lusty glint in her eyes. She went to an acting school; no way was this all coming from instinct.

"You know, because I'm pretty sure you could convince me otherwise, I am almost positive I shouldn't go up there with you." I told her rather dryly. "So, save it for tonight. Let's get some food first." I told her.

She lowered her head, and then walked over to me. I heard someone yell out not to look her in the eyes, but I might have been hearing things. Then she looked up, and she had wide, vulnerable eyes on her face, and I regretted looking her in the eyes. "Master, please?" She asked. Unfortunately, with that face, even though I knew it was a joke, I couldn't say no. Was there some school women went too to learn this look? I swear, every woman knows how to use it! I only sighed and nodded my head.

She squealed in delight, and then grabbed my arm, and might as well have ripped it out of my socket, considering how hard and fats she dragged me up the stairs. I never found out from the desk clerk where the room was, but Lufia seemed to have found it somehow. She pushed me in, and I quickly took everything into account.

The only way out was the door we came in, not something I enjoyed, but windows would have let some sound out. The wall had sound dampening seals on them, keeping noise from escaping, but allowing noise into it. The walls were grey, nothing really special about them except for the seals. The floor had a light brown carpet strewn across it, a sound dampening seal on it. There was a small table at the far end, a standard wooden one, small to the ground, no chairs. There was a small lamp hanging from the ceiling, just powerful enough to illuminate the bedroom. The bed, they emphasized the bed, which was easy to see.

The rest of the room was plain; the bed however, got the full five star treatment. It had red satin sheets strewn across it The pillows were held in grey silk pillow cases, and the light reflecting off the surface made it appear to be made of pure silver. There were no blankets, however, there was a sign above the bed head that said 'Sorry for the inconvenience, but we didn't put blankets in the room, we expect you to use your bodies to keep each other warm.' Well, this was definitely the honeymoon part of the building. They didn't even bother to hide it either.

"I would love a bed like this; of course, they would have to add the blankets." Lufia said, walking over, and flopping herself onto the bed. "Of course master, if you were willing, I could always use you like the sign suggests." Lufia said, giggling.

"Yeah, yeah, we aren't being watched anymore. Now, why did you drag me up here?" I asked her.

Lufia sighed. Then she flipped off the bed, yes, she did a front flip to get off of the bed, so sue her. "Well master, Karell and Blue seem to be acting rather odd." She told me.

"I noticed that as well, why did you think I didn't give Karell the concealed blade? I don't like it either, something is up right now, I just wish I knew what." I told her, crossing my arms and closing my eyes to think.

I heard Lufia say "Master, could something have happened to them in the city? You know, they saw something they didn't want to, like a dead kid in an alley, or something like that?" She asked me, concern in her voice. Concern for her, my safety, or our two companions, I couldn't tell.

I thought about it for a second, ok, make that one or two minutes. I was guessing Lufia was just looking at me. At least, until I heard purring fill the room. I opened my eyes, to see Lufia rolling on the bed slowly, as though absorbing the satin in the sheets. "Well, I don't think that happened. Karell would be able to shrug a dead body off, and Blue, well; she is a lot stronger in the mind than most of us. I don't think that is it, but what could have happened?" I asked the unanswerable question. None of us knew the answer, we both knew this.

Lufia walked over to me, and then started to circle me again. Great, why was she doing this now, it isn't like we need to do anything else right no-! "Holy shit!" I yelled out, as I felt claws rip my clothing at the back, slicing into my skin. It was painful, and I resisted the urge to jump away, cats had jagged claws, it would have caught on my flesh and ripped it open. I clenched my teeth after that, as Lufia finished ripping my clothing, and me, open. "You have five second to explain to me why you did that before I rip out your throat." I told her in a savage voice, feeling very lethal at the moment.

"Master, what were we supposed to be doing up here?" She said, reminding me what everyone thought we were doing. "I'm making us look the part. By the way, you are going to have to carry me on your back." She told me, as she put her hands in her hair, and started to shake it vigorously, sending it in random directions.

"Why do I have to carry you on my back?" I asked her, still clenching my teeth in pain. I felt some droplets of blood traveling down my back. Lufia's hand suddenly went into my hair, and then messed it up, well, made it look different. I doubt anything could have made it look more messed up, besides a weird haircut.

"Master, find out in a little bit. Just trust me for now alright?" She asked me, a mischievous smile on her lips again. Honestly, I didn't think I should trust her. However, I might as well; it isn't like she would try to kill me. Just embarrass me for her own fun. Honestly, I did that as well, so I don't know why I should be so negative in that respect toward her.

I didn't say a word; I just walked over to her, and picked her up. Then I set her on my back, and she leaned forward, and wrapped her legs around my stomach. I put my arms under her legs, supporting her to make sure she doesn't fall. When I think about it, doing this wasn't smart for one reason: Her breasts were pushed up right against my back. Well, I can't exactly say I hated it, in fact, I sort of enjoyed it. Well, we need to move. I walked over, and opened the door. I heard her purring lightly, barely audible, only if you were right on top of her would you be able to hear it. Or in this case, she was on top of you. I need to ask myself when I got such weird companions, I set out by myself, come back with a circus. I find it a bit funny, but other than that, I am coming to rely on them more and more. I would have to cut down on that, I will probably leave them at some point. The hardest person to convince to leave me would be Lufia. I need to do it in a way without breaking her. Well, I wouldn't leave for a little bit, I would worry about it later.

We walked out, and down the steps. We reached the bottom shortly, and then I felt Lufia shift a little to look at the desk clerk. "For the record," She said, once again, all conversation in the room died. I wish I knew how she did that; it might come in handy once in a while. I couldn't see her face, but I could guess she had on a smirk, triumphant grin, or something to that effect as she said the next part "Yes, it was worth it and he is that good. I thought I would be surprising him, but after what he did to me, I can't even feel my legs anymore. Wait, I might feel them now. Could you please put me down?" She asked me, in a slightly drunk voice, as though she had received too much pleasure, and fell woozy thinking about it.

I bent over, and let her slide off of me, and turned around to watch her. I heard a couple people, mostly women, gasp at the look of my back. Lufia stumbled around for a little bit, before she started to fall. I caught her before she hit the floor, putting her back onto my back. "Yeah, I still can't use my legs very well." She said, slightly red in the face while she giggled. I really should have asked her where she learned to act.

"Um sir, about your back…" I heard the desk clerk say. I turned around; her face was completely red, while she was looking me up and down. It didn't take a genius to figure out what she was thinking.

I looked at her in the face; she grew slightly redder at this. "Don't worry about it." I told her while shrugging my shoulders, well, the best I could do while holding Lufia. "I should have warned her what I was going to do. But, I didn't, and she tore into my back because she didn't brace herself. My fault really." I told her, as though it were no big deal.

Conversation in the tavern had started up again, except this time, I noted, it was the men talking, and no women were talking. "Yeah, I told you I was sorry." Lufia said with a small dreaming smile on her face. "But it was so good; I really hope we do that again tonight, maybe a couple times." She said, and no one was able to miss some small amount of lust in her voice. I noticed conversation stopped for a second that she said that, and then came back, a little louder than before.

I wanted to laugh; I can't believe they were this easy to fool. But, I didn't want to blow our cover. I would like to know where Karell and Hokara went to though. They still weren't around, and Karell would pay to see us affecting people like this. Those two are just getting weirder. "We would like some food please, the thing that's the quickest to make. I don't care about taste, I just want some food." I told the clerk, carrying Lufia on my back to the seats in the tavern, and a table of course.

I sat her down in a chair, and pushed her in, save her the energy and reinforce the image. Then I went and sat on the other side. I know a lot of people were staring at us, and not because of any abnormal body parts. Mostly, women were staring at me and men were staring at Lufia. I'll admit it, I felt a stab of jealousy when I saw they were watching her. I didn't like the thought of men stripping her down with their eyes. Well, I didn't like the thought period, even if I did to it sometimes. But, I do reprimand myself when I do this.

Two soup bowls were placed in front of us, and it smelled wonderful. I saw big hunks of meat floating in it; I saw a couple small fishes, and a couple hunks of potato. I liked the look of this dish. Lufia did as well; I noticed that she eyed the fishes the most. Well, she was a cat demon I suppose; I guess they are a lot like regular cats as well. I wondered what would happen if I put her and Kiba in the same room. Something funny, that much is sure.

I Saw Lufia begin to eat it, the she paused for a second, and then continued to eat. Must have found something unpleasant in the soup. Well, hopefully I didn't have that same thing. I took my spoon, and scooped up some soup along with a potato chunk. I put it in my mouth and swallowed, and then I instantly regretted it. There was a bitter taste to it, and then suddenly it was sweet to the point of bitter. I could only think of one thing that did that. I jumped up in my chair, slamming it to the ground behind me.

Lufia looked up startled, a little droopy eyes. Shit, it was already taking effect. I swiped my hand across the table, smashing the bowls off of the table and breaking them into glass pieces, and a wave of dizziness hit me. Shit shit shit! Why didn't I prepare for this? "Master?" Lufia whispered to me, sleep starting to take her as well. "Master, what is…happening?" She asked me, having a hard time staying balanced.

"Sleeping…herbal…concoction…in the…soup." I said out to her, feeling another wave hit me, making me fall to the ground. I fell on my back, hitting the chair I had knocked over with my head. It sent small needles to my head, pricking me all along the back of my skull. I heard a thump, Lufia had fallen to the ground, and she was probably out. Blackness was closing in around me. I could barely keep my eyes open. Before I closed them completely, I saw a figure above me. Red shirt, white pants. Karell. I closed my eyes, and fell asleep completely, letting the blackness take my soul.

General Badaxe- Well, my brother gave me the profile, period. Good, I don't have to eventually make my own. Well, I changed some things, and I was able to change the pen name, thank goodness. Also, I was only able to update this early because of the small break I got from school, don't expect me to update this quickly again. Well, until I update again, good day and all that jazz.


	8. Chapter 8

General Badaxe- Well, I cancel my remark I made a couple chapters ago. I don't think this story will ever become that popular. It just doesn't seem to be gaining any steam, but that is ok. It doesn't really need it, I have a generally healthy audience, so it doesn't really matter. For those for you that read it, this chapter is for you. **Megaolix**, Well, it isn't really a filler. I hope this chapter answers your questions. Anyways, I do tend to take longer than most authors in fleshing out my characters, so sometimes it might seem like a filler, sorry about that. **Nantukoprime**, Thank you for pointing out those mistakes, I fixed them as soon as you told me that. I'm going to have to re read these chapters from now on to make sure I don't make the same mistake. Maybe I will have her reveal who she is so I don't make those mistakes again. **Silver.Sharingan**, No, I don't really plan on it being a harem. Tell you what; here is a challenge for you, or anyone for that matter. If anyone out there can give me a good, I do mean good by the way, (no half assed thing you think will appeal to me because I am male), reason on why it should be a harem, I will consider your reason. If I find it plausible, I will make it a harem. Anyone can try, but I doubt you will succeed. Leave it in a review or in a pm to me if you have to. As for being betrayed, read on to find out. **Mr.Shooter**, I have only one question, what is the 8/10? Is that a score in your eyes? I got an 8/10 chapter in your eyes? If that is the case, I guess I will have to step it up a little bit. Call me an overachiever. On with the fic.

My head was pounding, my chest hurt with every strained breathe I took. My muscles ached; I didn't want to move at all. My breathing sounded forced and raspy, my eyes were hurting just to keep them closed. There was a musky smell in the air, something horrid. Smelled a little like decaying flesh and old blood. The floor was cold, and I was freezing. I shivered a little. I opened my eyes a crack, and after I viewed my surroundings, they flew open in shock and some fury.

I was in a cell, I was sure of at least that much. There was anti chakra seals forming along the wall, keeping me from using any of my chakra. I might be able to use demonic chakra, but I didn't want to try just yet. There was a small window, about as big as my head, with bars slashing any thought of escape out that window from my mind. Small beams of sunlight went through the bars to give me some light. The door keeping me in here was made of bars as well, steel by the looks of it. I wasn't about to break through that. There was a bed, looked a little hard, leaning off of chains from the wall. They gave me a bucket to fulfill any bodily functions I might have. There was a tray of food near the bars, but I didn't trust it. Something about my last meal poisoning me didn't sit to well with me for some reason, so excuse me if I didn't trust food for a little bit.

It was dank and dusty as well, and I could hear the squeaking or rats in this place. There was little light, only a small beam from the window, barely illuminating the room. It didn't take me long to adjust my eyes, thank goodness. How did I end up in this place? I know I was put to sleep thanks to an herbal concoction, and then Karell stood over me, but what could that mean? Did Karell betray us? That would explain why he was acting funny, but then, why did Hokara seem to go along with the plan? That shouldn't have happened, I think. They might have been plotting behind my back. Could Lufia have been in on the matter? She might want her freedom, she had a reason. However, the others, what could their reason be? It doesn't make sense; I wasn't holding any of them against their will.

'Kit, before you jump to conclusions, I would like to point out, it couldn't possibly be Lufia.' Prelait thought to me.

'Where have you been?! Also, how do you know it wasn't Lufia? I mean, by all technical terms, I was her master, she might have wanted freedom. Now I need an explanation.' I thought to Prelait, trying to organize my thoughts.

'Well kit, there is only one way for Lufia to become free. She has to kill you in a duel. If she doesn't kill you herself, demon lore demands she take her own life, to serve you in Hell. As such, she wouldn't have done this; she would have just tried to kill you. As for the others, I have no idea. Karell is a slippery one; I am unable to tell what his intentions are. Hokara, she won't show me any emotion except for small bursts, so I can't give you an accurate description of her.' Prelait thought to me, a slightly concerned sound in her voice.

I didn't like that, nothing good ever came out of a demon being concerned over something. 'Prelait, what are possible scenarios? I need answers, and fast, before I blow something from worrying. Damn it, I'm in prison! I didn't expect to come here until someone managed to blame a crime on me, frame me. So, what is going on now?' I asked her, concern gripping my voice in a vice-like grip.

'Sorry kit I don't have a very good scenario for you, not enough information.' Prelait said to me, sounding a little disheartened at this. 'The closest thing I can come up with would be Karell betraying you. After all, remember how much the reward for Hokara was, if he used you as a scapegoat, then he would make off with the money. That is the most probable right now, until I get some more information, I'm as lost as you are. Don't jump to conclusions however; he might not have betrayed you after all.' Prelait thought to me.

I kept thinking, trying to come up with a possibility that didn't involve Karell betraying me, even though he was standing over me when I passed out. I hated to admit it, even to myself, but I feel I have been betrayed. I tried to deny it, he has sort of wormed himself into my heart, to the point I like him a little bit. I didn't want to believe it, but I had to accept the fact. There is a pretty high chance of Karell betraying us. Damn it, one thing I didn't expect of the swordsman, I didn't expect him to value money more than our lives. But, greed does strange things to people. Alright, I'll accept that Karell might have betrayed us, but what was his motive? Money seems the highest, but there might be something I don't know about. Not enough information, I would have to settle with a half truth right now. He might have betrayed us.

I walked to the barred door, and tested them to see if there was a chance of me breaking them. Not even close, the metal didn't even groan when I was pressing my entire body against them. Well, no point in slamming my shoulder against it and wounding myself. I sat down, my legs folded in a crossing position. I put my hands on my knees, and breathed in and out deeply, once. I couldn't do much here, I was a captive. I had no way of negotiating my way out, doing so would be futile. Next thought, what are they going to do to me?

Torture would be one option, if they learned I was from Konoha, who knows what they would do to me. However, if they thought I took Hokara from them, then we had one more problem, how was I to be executed? If they believed I kidnapped her, I had no doubt it would end in execution. Depending on how much the father doted on her and worried about her, it could be death by slow torture. If I was lucky, it would be a quick hanging. However, they might have just learned I was from Konoha, in which case, they would capture me to torture me. But, what role would Karell play then? I have no doubt that if they captured me to torture me, he wouldn't be that interested.

Damn it, I need more information. A thought occurred to me, one that made my blood freeze. What about Lufia? She wasn't human, would scientists dissect her? Would they torture her for information on what she was? Damn and double damn! They just might do that, if it isn't naturally human, people don't think she/he has rights! Wait, what if they find out she is strong, and use her as breeding stock? This thought made my stomach wrench, but it might happen. Even if she was a different species, I could see some men suggesting it, and of course 'volunteering' to do it, so that no other man has to. I mean heck, I have heard of men who want sex with other men, something I think is completely wrong. But, it happens, so I think this would be possible.

I felt panic rising in me, I had no doubt that that scenario was possible right now, even though I knew nothing about the situation. I tried to calm myself down, some reassuring thoughts, but they didn't work. If anything, worry and panic started to pound in my head, rising with every thought meant to reassure me. I couldn't go on like this, I needed to calm down, assess the situation, and then think logically. They wouldn't torture her yet, as long as she was alive, it was some leverage they could use against me in torture. If they did anything to her, I would tear every last throat out in this building complex. I dare anyone to try to stop me.

I heard a door creak open, it was metal, and the hinges were a little rusty. It came from down the hall, to the left. I decided to feign sleep, maybe they would stupidly talk in front of me. I fell to the ground, my head turned away from the door. I heard three different footsteps, and the sound of a body being dragged. I didn't like this, the sound of a body being dragged. The officers were being lazy about it, either the person in question was knocked out, or the officers enjoyed showing they were superior to the person in question. Either way, they stopped in front of my door, and unlocked it.

Suddenly, I wished that I hadn't looked away from the door. I had no way of knowing if the guards were ninja, if they appeared tough, who was with them, and a bunch of other facts. Charging them would be foolish, they had a body they could use as a shield. I would love nothing more than to suddenly whip around, demonic chakra pouring through me, and ripping into them. However, there are too any variables in this to attack recklessly. And, in the off chance that one of them was Karell, he would kill me before I got too far. Especially because I didn't know which guard was him if one was him at all, too much of a risk to take. I resisted the urge to swear.

A body was thrown next to me, and then the door slammed behind me. Well, if I was thinking about escaping now, it was pointless. The door was closed; I wouldn't be able to get through it that easily. Well, a little demon chakra, and I would just shatter the stone wall, but I had no idea where I was either. So, doing so would be stupid, alert people I was free, and then, I would have enough ninjas to fill a river on my tail. Just great.

I heard the footsteps recede into nothingness, and finally, I was able to sate my curiosity. I looked at the body next to me. It was Lufia, she had cuts all along her body, and they were healing though, slowly compared to my healing, but quicker than a human's could be. She had a couple bruises, and a couple parts where a burn mark was. Damn it, what did they do to her? I had no doubt I could guess what happened. Still though, she didn't appear that old, but they would torture her? Her clothes appeared in good shape, I don't think they raped her. If they did, location be damned, I was busting out and killing them all.

I brought her head onto my lap, and started to scratch her cat ears in a slow remorseful way. I was a little sad. She considered me her master, but here, she was tortured and I wasn't able to do anything to stop them from hurting her. I was a little glad she was knocked out; I didn't think she should experience this kind of pain. I was there for a little bit, trying to comfort her while she was knocked out, I know it wasn't needed, but it was something to do in this place. I needed something to do right now. Then I saw her eyes open up, slowly, but they did. There was no mistaking the pain filled in those magenta eyes, however, she refused to cry out, and she even put on a pain filled smile. "Master, how are you doing?" She asked me, pain was in her voice, even though she tried to cover it up. She didn't succeed very well.

"I'm doing fine." I told her, trying to make my voice sound casual. I couldn't it broke about halfway through saying that sentence. "Oh who am I kidding? Lufia, why? Why did they torture you? Damn it, I couldn't do anything, I'm sorry." I told her, my voice solemn at the end.

She just let her pain filled smile stretch across her face, and then she said to me "Master, don't worry, I am used to this. I have been through worse. I didn't tell them anything, I didn't tell them anything about you. Master, you would be so proud to have seen me." She told me, a smile showing she was satisfied with what she had done, resisting all their attempts. However, she was still in pain, apparently because of me. Even if I didn't personally inflict it, I was the cause.

"Lufia, you should have told them. I don't mind, so they know something about me, it isn't then end of the world. Anyways, don't lie. You might have been through worse, for all I know, you might have. However, you are still in pain, don't hide it. That is wasting your energy, and I need to you have as much energy as you can." I told her, and then I saw her face begin to crack a little.

Tears began to form in her eyes, and then they slid down her cheek. "Master, it hurts so much." She cried out a little, sounding like she was about to sob uncontrollably. "Master, the pain is great; please, if you can, help me, please?" She whispered to me, pain scarring her voice. She was keeping in her tears as much as she could, trying not to appear weak, even though she was asking for help. She had a lot in her, I would give her that much. However, just because you could take pain didn't mean you were strong; you had to be able to give it right back, to the people who did this to you. If not, I would do it for her, it is the least I could do.

'Prelait, is there anything I can do? I want to help her, but I feel powerless. Is there anything?' I asked her, I could hear the slight sadness in my own voice. Maybe I was becoming too attached to her, but she had a strange child-like innocence about her near me. I didn't enjoy the though of her suffering because of this. Maybe I felt a little obligated toward her as well, after all, in her eyes, I was her master, so she felt devoted to her. This blind devotion though, it made me a little sick, but I would work on that later. Right now, I had to help her.

'Well kit, I can think of one way, but you probably aren't going to like it at all.' Prelait though to me, a serious voice penetrating my skull at the moment. She was all business, I guess that every once in a while she could be serious as well. At least, when the situation really calls for it.

'What do I have to do Prelait, would do anything to help her at this point. What do I have to do?' I asked her, listening to Lufia give a little gasp of pain, as some of my sweat accidentally hit her wound, releasing some salt. I was sweating? No, it was a tear that had fallen down my cheek. I was definitely becoming attached.

'Well kit, as I said, you definitely aren't going to like this.' Prelait thought to me in a sigh first, and then she said to me 'Well kit, first your hand has to be touching her where her heart is, right in between her breasts.' She thought to me, and I felt my entire face flame up.

'Prelait, tell me you are joking at this point, I don't really appreciate it. Now then, what do I really have to do?' I thought to her, a little disappointed that she couldn't be serious, even in times like these.

'Kit, I'm not joking. That isn't the worst part, trust me, I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't heal her because of this. Kit, you skin has to be directly touching hers as well. If a shirt, glove, bra, anything is in the way, it has to be moved so that you can heal her. After this is done, and your hand is touching her heart, you have to shove some of my chakra into her, and it will heal her, almost instantly. As I said though, you have to be directly touching her. If you aren't the wounds will instead expand, and become even more painful. Make your choice kit.' She thought to me, in a dead serious voice.

She was right; I was considering not healing her. It felt too much like I was taking advantage of the situation. Taking advantage of her. I shouldn't heal her, I shouldn't. Even if it was for good, the way I was doing felt too wrong. "Lufia, I'm sorry, but I can only heal you in a certain way, I don't think I should." I told her, in a sad voice.

"Master, it is ok. I understand, even though I resisted torture, I am still a burden to you. I accept the punishment." She told me, her voice a little strangled.

"Damn it, that isn't what I meant! It isn't a punishment, but I can only heal you in one way, and let me tell you, it feels to me like I was taking advantage of the situation. I would love nothing more than to heal you, but I don't think I should, it feels…it feels wrong, that is the only way I can describe it." I told her, feeling a little frustrated I couldn't help her.

Before I could register what happened, Lufia began to wiggle, and writhe where she was. She was letting out painful gasps as well, and sweat was starting to fall down her face. She let out a scream then, as though something was eating her alive. "Lufia? Lufia, calm down! What's wrong with you? Lufia!" I holler out, as she continued to writhe.

I looked at her wounds, they were glowing. They were glowing, a sickly mixture of a black void with the blood stained look of a battlefield. It started to grow, the wound that was. It started to expand, very slowly, but it was expanding. I checked another wound, the same thing. She let out a terrified scream mixed with pain, before gulping air uncontrollably, her eyes bugging out of her face. Then, she let out another scream.

What the Hell is going on now?! 'Damn! Kit, they are using a special form of mental torture on you. Think about it, the people suspect she is your lover, that you will do anything to help her. I'm willing to bet that they are going to have her die like this in front of you, break your mind, and make you uncontrollable. This makes it easier for them to break you. Kit, I doubt it is going to quit, this was meant to kill her, whatever it is. Kit, unless you heal her the way I told you, she is going to die. It is all left to you now.' She thought to me, flowing back into my mind so that I can think about it myself.

I didn't know what to do, unless I did something, she was going to die. However, the means of her healing, they were still a little repulsive in my eyes. She was sucking in air desperately, before she knew when she would scream again. She screamed again, however, this time, words were accompanied with her screaming. "Master! Master, I beg of you, kill me or save me, please!" She cried out, before some blood flew from her mouth. It landed in the light, and she couldn't see. What made me freeze was that the blood was black.

"Master! Please, if you will do one thing for me, kill me! End this suffering, please, I beg of you!" She yelled out again, clutching her chest in agony. Her entire body twisted, almost flinging her off of me. I was barely able to restrain her.

I guess I didn't have a choice. I held her down, and then rolled over on top of her to restrain her; I put my knees on her arms, keeping her from clawing me as I worked. "Lufia, I need you to trust me on this then. Try to hold still, I will do what I can. If I can't heal you, I will kill you in as painless as a manner as I can think of. However, you have to trust me!" I told her sternly, and then her body went mostly slack. It still vibrated a little, shrugging off some of the pain. However, it wasn't enough to get in my way.

I didn't want to do this, but I had no choice. I moved my body enough to expose the bottom of her shirt, and then I slipped my hand up it. I felt my face begin to heat up a little as I did this. I heard Lufia begin to pant, the pain was becoming worse. I did notice that her body had stopped vibrating; I guess she was getting better control. I reached my hand up enough to feel her bra, and then I slid my hand under that; nothing was stopping me from touching her heart at this point, even though her breasts were pressing up against my hand, that really made my face heat up. I had to force myself to focus to get this done. I felt the beat of it; it was erratic, and seemed to be gaining speed as I tested her pulse with my hand. Her face had grown slightly red, must be a fever accompanying this little disease. Or, whatever was that was causing her pain.

I felt the demonic energy pour into my hand, and flow down to my palm. I was careful about this; I didn't know how much was too little or too much. I felt it slide into my palm, and then Lufia gave a cry of pain, her entire front body arching into my hand. If she wasn't dieing, this would probably seem pretty erotic. However, I had to help her more than anything else right now. I shoved the energy from my palm, into her beating heart. I felt her gasp out loud, not in pain though. It sounded a little bit like she was in ecstasy. I looked at her wounds, as I continued to pump my chakra into her. They were changing back to the color of red, and sliced flesh, and even then, those were closing and knitting together properly. I looked at her burn marks, and even those were fading into the natural color of her skin.

She appeared to be breathing easier, and her eyes were closed. She was sucking in air, as though she was able to actually enjoy the taste of it as it flowed smoothly into her lungs. I wasn't taking chances, I continued to pump the demonic chakra into her, making sure that every bruise, every cut, every burn, every scrape was healed. She wouldn't be in any pain, not while I was able to do anything about it. I looked at the wounds I was able to see, and I noticed that they were completely gone. I pumped a little more into her, just in case of any internal bleeding. I was satisfied after that, and then I pulled my hand out of her shirt, and then attempted to roll off of her.

However, she grabbed my head, before I could do this. She dragged my down a little, and then lifted her head and kissed my cheek. I felt my face heat up a little at this gesture, and then she told me with a grateful smile on her face "Master, thank you." Before she fell back, and closed her eyes, passing out for a second time. This was a good thing; I was able to roll off of her now. I did so, and then walked over to the blood she had spit out. I should mention my face felt like a furnace when she kissed me, but that wasn't important right now. Also, I was happy to think I was able to access my demonic chakra in this room. Well, I still had that advantage atleast.

It was in a patch of sunlight, as though in a twist of irony, it was sent from Heaven. It was black, pure black, like something that belonged in nightmares, or stories to scare children away. It almost seemed alive to me, which was strange. No way could it be alive, I knew that for a fact. I didn't like it, it reminded me too much of the dream I had recently. It appeared to be a bad omen, and it bothered me to no end. Blood doesn't go from red to black for no reason; on top of that, it went back to red after I healed her. What bothered me the most, however, was that I know of only one creature that has black blood. I don't even know if that creature was real, or just some messed up memory. There is a chance that the hero she was talking about isn't me, after all, anyone might have saved her at some point, and I am just growing paranoid. The blood still scared me, what could they have done to her to make her blood turn black? I didn't want to know, but I had to know, I had to end this threat to her. It might happen again. I didn't know what it did, but I had a pretty good hunch I knew what it was. I couldn't be positive about it though, it might be a coincidence. The chances of it are pretty low, but they are still possible.

I wiped away the blood with my arm, and when I got most of it on my sleeve, I walked to the window, and wiped it off onto the bars. I didn't want Lufia to see this, who knows what her reaction might be. I walked back over to what was left of that black liquid, spat on it, and then sued my foot to get as much spread out as I possibly could so she couldn't see it without searching intently in the area. I succeeded mostly, one or two big spots refused to become smaller, but she shouldn't notice them. I probably should talk to her about it, but I was still coming to terms with the fact I might have interfered with her life, through her dream, inadvertently. I don't know how this will change reality, the possibilities are mind boggling.

"So, how is she?" I heard a voice ask me. A voice that was all too familiar to me. Karell.

"Karell?!" I said suddenly, whipping to the iron bars with a force that did make them groan. In the cell diagonal to mine, to the left, was Karell against his bars as well. He was giving me a sad smile, as though he was disappointed we met like this. However, I was gripping my bars in rage. "Damn it Karell, I want an explanation!" I yelled at him, squeezing the bars hard enough that my knuckles were turning white.

"Naruto, calm down." He told me in a cool voice, and then he told me "What do you want an explanation about? How I got here?" He asked me, slightly confused at the concept.

"No damn it! What is going on! I eat some stupid poisoned soup and what do I see before I pass out?! I see you! Now then, I want you to explain to me what you were doing! Damn it, how did we end up here?! What are we doing here?!" I yelled at him, all the pent up rage and frustration finally finding someone to throw themselves against.

"Naruto, for the second time, calm down!" He told me, his voice rising slightly at being forced to tell me that a second time. When I think about it, why do we yell at each other when telling people to calm down? Yelling only causes more tension to be forced away, making the other person even more frustrated than they were previously. The same thing happened to me.

"Calm down? Calm down?! I show you calm! Move your scrawny little neck into my hands, and I will show you calm!" I yelled at him, my voice reaching new heights. "Damn it, if these bars weren't in between us, you would be dead already!"

"Naruto! Calm down!" He yelled at me, surprising me a little bit. "Look, I have no idea what you are talking about! If you would just let me explain, I would be able to tell you what happened! But no, you have to be a royal pain in the ass about all this, and scream! Now then, if you will stay calm, I will explain to you what happened to me." He told me, smoldering rage evident in his voice.

I was a little calmer now; after all, I let off most of my steam in that last round. I was willing to listen now; honestly, I don't think I really suspected him. I just needed to blow off some steam somehow; he was just the most opportune person to do it on. However, I didn't want to appear like I was doing that, so I kept an angry look on my face, and I said in a tight voice "Very well, but you had better not even consider lying to me. I'm not in a good mood, in fact, unless your explanation is good, I am going to kill you when I get out of here." That last part, I was serious about.

I heard him let out a deep sigh, and then he muttered something under his breath that I couldn't make out. "Naruto, I was taken out before I was even down the first street." He told me, sounding a little embarrassed at mentioning this little fact.

If I understood that the way he said it, I would be embarrassed as well. "Wait, do you mean what I think you mean? Where you captured, you captured, before you even finished walking down the street when we split up?" I asked him, finding this a little hard to believe.

I heard him grumble a little darkly, before he told me in a distasteful voice, "Yes Naruto, I was captured before I finished walking down the street. Alright?! I was captured, before I was walking down the street. Me! Of all people, it was me. My reputation is shot." He said, in a gloomy voice. I think he was taking it rather hard. "Anyways, they hit me with a tranquilizer, I couldn't do anything. Whoever hit me with it is lucky I didn't get a good look at their face, or so help me, I would slaughter them in as brutal a fashion as I could muster." He told me, rather savage sounding.

"Right, so you were captured." I told him, trying to keep from snickering at his outrage. "Well, that is nice and all, but then, who did I see at the Inn?" I asked him, a little puzzled at this. Who did I see?

"Naruto, can't you ninja people disguise yourself as another person, and make it almost impossible to tell it is a different person by looks or something like that? Couldn't that have happened?" He asked me, sounding a little disgusted with me, probably because I couldn't figure that out myself.

Yeah, I kind of forgot about the Henge technique. Well, I suppose that a ninja could have done that. It would explain why Karell was acting funny, and why he disappeared at the Inn. I suppose it would be plausible, but would that mean that Hokara was also a ninja in disguise? I find it very possible. Wait, would that mean…"Karell, is Blue with you?" I asked him, if he was captured, she might have been as well.

"Now that you mention it, no, she isn't here. I don't know what happened to her, remember I was passed out, however, I don't know where she is." He told me, sounding slightly worried about her. Well, it was understandable; I am worried about her as well. "Damn it Naruto, why did things come to this?" He asked me, his voice telling me he didn't want an answer. It was also a little solemn as well; he was disappointed, probably in himself.

"Karell, we aren't dead yet, and we are pretty much in one piece." I told him, a smile on my face. It would have been a lot better if he could have seen me, it might have helped him a little bit. I did chuckle a little. I thought it would be funny to see him with a sad expression on his face. Who knows what it would look like?

"Naruto, you misunderstand me." Karell said, chuckling a little. It sounded so alien when he had a sad voice. "You see, they took my katana. How am I supposed to fight without my katana? At this point, when you do get out of here, I am more of a burden than anything." Well, that would explain why he was sad. However, I had the solution to his problem. At least, I think I have the reason.

I reached into my coat pocket, and touched absolutely nothing. Crap, I should have guessed that they would have taken my weapons; it would make sense after all. Nope, I completely expected them to leave me with all of my weapons and allow me to get out of here a lot easier. Well, there goes that idea. "Naruto, you never answered my question. Is Lufia okay?" He asked me for the second time.

I was a little startled by this question. I forgot he had asked me that. I looked over at Lufia. She was sleeping rather peacefully; she was curled up in a little ball as she slept. Kind of like a cat, actually. Go figure, a cat demon sleeping like a cat. She shifted slightly, so that she was lying on her back. Wouldn't that be uncomfortable, considering she has a tail? Then again, I don't have one, I wouldn't know. Then I saw her tail fly out a little, until it was hanging slightly over her face, and the I saw her hands, claws outstretched, try to grab it multiple times, her tail moving out of the way just in time, each time. It looked rather cute actually, like a real cat playing with a tassel or something.

"Yeah, she is doing just fine. I don't think she is having a nightmare." I told Karell through the bars, still looking at Lufia for anything else strange she would do. She rolled over back onto her side, and curled up again, her tail curling around the front of her body, the end winding up between her breasts. What I wouldn't give to be that tail…NO! Stupid, perverted, twisted mind! Get out of the gutter, she was just tortured first off, and second off, you aren't exactly in the best position either. Get out of here at least, before you even think of venturing into that territory. Then again, I'm right, that is one lucky tail…Damn it! What did I just berate myself on?! Well, I was going to have to control myself better in the future.

Although I did hold a valid point, I did have to get out of here. "Karell, what's going to happen to us, well, what do you think will happen to us?" I asked him, leaning against the bars, before sliding down them into a sitting position.

"Well Naruto, I have no idea even where to think." He told me, and then I heard a slight thump, probably Karell sitting down like I was. "After all, the rumors about this place have darkened considerably in a few years. If the rumors are true, it is impossible to tell what they would do to us, all I know, if the rumors were true we will suffer considerable mental and physical torture." He told me, in a rather calm voice for that I thought.

"What do you mean by 'dark rumors'?" I asked him, looking up through the window, looking at the sunlight with envy in my thoughts. How I longed to be free. "I know it can't be anything good, especially by the tone in your voice."

He let out a bitter laugh, it sounded like the scraping of steel on steel. "Naruto, if you even thought about the secrets surrounding this place, it would give you nightmares beyond your own comprehension as it is now. In fact, I won't tell you them word for word, or else, I know you won't sleep easy tonight. Naruto, they have talk of a new weapon that forces you to believe in their cause, no matter how much you oppose it. All who have supposedly seen it have been killed, supposedly, the rumors originated from the guards who watched the execution. If this is true or not, I have no idea. However, by the sounds of Lufia, something tells me that they might not be lying to us. That, or they have some sort of delayed torture." He told me, and then at the end, he sounded like he was pondering about that incident.

"Karell, There is something about her screaming you don't know about, she spit out black blood." I told him, concerned. I still need to find out how her blood turned black.

"Her blood turned black?" He asked me, sounding rather surprised. "This is the first time I have ever heard of such a thing. Blood changing color by itself? Quick, did anything else happen to her? Anything at all that would be suspicious?" He asked me, his voice a mixture of fear and wonder.

It didn't take me long to think about it, before I came up with a couple strange things. "Well, her wounds were slowly expanding, and she had burn marks all over her. Also, for some reason, it started to affect her when she had woken up, as though she was supposed to be awake when the pain took hold of her. Something tells me it was designed this way, just to be sick twisted bastards." I said that last part a little harshly.

Karell let out a small sound I couldn't describe, before he told me "Naruto, never in my life of traveling around have I heard anything even remotely close to what you have described to me. Well, the burn marks I have heard, however, I have never heard of something with a trigger like you waking up. It is just unheard of in my book. Damn, it looks like I am going to have to gather some information when I get out of here. Oh well, on the bright side, it gives me something to do." He said to me, rather pleased about something. I wish I could share his optimism.

"Well, we first have to get out of here." I told him, still leaning against the bars. I looked away from the light; it was starting to put gloom on me by looking at it. "I don't know how we are going to do that either, I haven't even heard of other guards, unless you count the ones who threw Lufia in. Damn it, how do you propose we get out of here?" I asked him, leaning against the bars.

"Well Naruto, I was hoping you could figure out a way, but I guess we will have to think about it for a second." He told me, sounding frustrated about something. "Well Naruto, have you tried going demon, or whatever it is you do when you get a massive power surge?" He asked me, inquiring about something I have already thought about.

"Karell, it is nice and all that I can do that, but I don't dare risk it right now." I told him, finally focusing my eyes on the sleeping form of Lufia; I had nothing better to look at right then. "Understand, I don't exactly know where we are, and face it, shattering these bars or stones would send an alarm up around the place. Face it; even though I would be powerful, even the strongest warrior can be overcome with numbers. We don't have many advantages, and using up that advantage now would be pretty stupid." I told him, crossing my arms and bowing my head trying to think deeper. I don't know why I did it, must be some force of habit thing I developed.

"Yeah, you're right." He said, letting out a sigh of regret. "Damn, who would have thought that we would end up like this?" He asked me, a small humorous note in his voice.

"The same people up there who enjoy screwing me over in any way shape or form." I grumbled, making it inaudible for Karell.

"Did you say something?" Karell asked me, sounding hopeful, as though I had an idea.

"No, I didn't say anything." I told him. This is a pain, how long are these bars supposed to hold us? Well, pretty soon, I would probably smash out of here because of boredom. It was starting to take its toll on me. "Karell, any ideas yet?" I asked him, standing up, I needed to get some blood flowing to my legs as they were starting to get very uncomfortable.

Silence was stretching across the room, some despised creature just filling the air, and expanding slowly to engulf all nerves of sanity I had left. The creature was soon banished though. "Naruto, out of curiosity, how did you help Lufia? I mean, she was screaming pretty loudly, I doubt pain comes and goes like that when it is that intense. What did you do to help her?" He asked me, trying to find some sort of conversation to end the terrible beast of silence.

I will be extremely, bluntly honest, I didn't want to tell him how I healed her. It was extremely embarrassing from my point of view. That, and Karell has a tendency to overreact whenever I get into a semi-sexual situation with any female. Well, I wouldn't lie to him at least. "I shoved some of my demonic energy into her to heal her." I told him gruffly, hoping he wouldn't pry even further.

"I see." He told me, before silence enveloped us again. Damn it, we needed something to talk about. "So Naruto, do you trust Lufia?" He asked me, once again, trying to find something to talk about.

"Well Karell, Yeah, I do. Trust me, when a demon becomes your slave, they will literally go to the ends of the planet to get you. So, I don't have to worry about her backstabbing me. You however, if you went against what I had to say, yeah, she would kill you without hesitation." I told him, smiling at the way I imagined his face freezing when I told him that.

"I see, that's…nice." He said, apparently at a loss of words. I don't blame him really, knowing someone could send a demon after you anytime they wanted would kind of make me a little edgy too. Well, it would have to depend on the strength of the demon which would be attacking me I suppose. After all I wouldn't be that scared of a weak demon, not with one of the stronger ones stuck inside of me.

I heard a door slam open, sound of steel smashing into stone really hard. I heard feet pressing hard against the stone floor, and the sound of a body being drug along. There was more than one pair of feet making noise, definitely more than two people. How many was the question. Oh well, it would be pointless to charge now. It sounds like they are dragging someone; they must be prepared to deal with any uprising. I might not get away unscathed, it wasn't worth it, not right now.

I saw them pass my little cell. One guard was tall, and had three swords on his back, and an axe in his hand. Strange combination in my opinion. He wore a black shirt, black pants, and black shoes, basically, all black. In fact all the guards were like that, must be some sort of uniform. A short guard had a small spear, about half the length of a regular one as well as a crossbow hanging at his side. The two guards dragging the prisoner were huge, and I don't mean tall. These two were probably considered elite guards. One of them had a sword about one and a half as long as my body on his back. The other guard didn't have any visible weapons on him. What he used, I don't know. Well, I could prepare for three of them at least.

The prisoner was definitely not form around these parts. He had olive tan skin, making him look exotic. Combine that with raven black hair, and you could tell the ladies would fawn over him. At least, the ones who have never seen him before. He had a small look about him, he looked about as tall as me. However, judging by the way he appeared, gruffer than most, I was guessing he was at least seventeen years old. Hopefully I didn't stay this small. He was wearing a green over shirt over I think I saw a white tunic. He had on silver pants, as though to emphasize to the world he was there, and for no other reason. His arms were big, looked like they could crush me in two in fact. His legs were a little smaller, but they appeared powerful. He had a tough job somewhere, but that didn't explain to me why he was here.

Then guards walked past my cage like I was unimportant, and I was guessing, they thought I wasn't. Just another scumbag to be executed. Well, I would deal with them later. I heard the creak of a door opening, and then I heard a body hit the floor, and the door slam shut with a metallic clang. It reverberated through the small dungeon, making my ears hurt. I barely heard the shoes of the four guards as they began trudging away from us. I saw them walk past, and then I saw the unarmed guard glare at me from the corner of his eye as he walked past. None of the other guards even paid attention to him. Whoever that unarmed guard was, I was going to kill him personally. Well, now that I have decided that, I need to talk to Karell.

"Karell, do you know who that was?" I asked him, a little perplexed. I would think that these dungeons would remain reserved for us alone.

"Naruto, I have no clue who that guy was." He told me, and I thought I heard an edge of excitement to his voice. "However! That isn't important. Did you see that one guard with that huge ass sword?! Oh man, I want to take him out! I hope he is as good as he looks, oh man…" Ok, it sounds like Karell is having an orgasm, I really hate that. It sounds really disgusting; couldn't he have the decency to at least be talking about a girl while he does this? Well, never ask Karell for a sword fight.

"New topic." I said, rather loudly I might add. I hope he got the hint. "Karell, exactly how are we supposed to get out of here? I'll go demon if I have to, however, I would much rather prefer saving that for a time it is actually needed. Are you sure you don't have any means to escape?" I asked him, I know it sounded like I was begging. I didn't want to transform, it made me feel like a complete weakling when I reverted back to my original form. I was afraid I might grow addicted to the power.

"Well Naruto, I do have one way." He told me, sounding displeased to have to use this method, whatever it is. "However, we are waiting for Lufia to wake up before we break out, dead weight isn't something we need right now. I say this, because I seriously doubt you will leave her behind."

He was right; I wasn't leaving her behind with these people. Who knows what they would do to her. "Well hopefully we won't have to wait that long. After all, hanging around this place doesn't seem that appealing."

"You know, I agree. The service is lousy, the people here treat you like trash, and on top of that, they give you some of the worst companions to be with!" I heard a voice cry out. It wasn't Karell or me. "So, you people planning an escape?" I heard him ask. I noticed his voice didn't sound like his gruff appearance, in fact, I'll admit it, it sounded a little musical. I hated him for that.

"What's it to you, new guy?" Karell asked him, blades lining his voice with an unneeded threat against the newcomer. "Does it matter? It's not like we have any reason to include you in this little plan."

I could almost feel the guy smile, and I must say, the feeling was extremely creepy. "Well know, do you know where your weapons are? I do. Do you know your way around this place? I do. Finally, do you know how to get your little friend back? I do." He said, sounding like he had just won some sort of prize just for showing up.

"Alright, why should we trust you?" I asked him, venom coursing through my voice like the snake. "We have no reason to, for all we know, you could be a guard in disguise meant to root out any plan we might have."

"Ah, that possibility is certain." He told us, laughing a little at the possibility. "Our two dashing heroes must combat their inner feeling, wondering if they can trust this strange and dashing newcomer. What will win, their minds thinking them a traitor amongst their midst, or will reason win out, realizing this guy is the only map of the place they have? Oh the drama, the suspense!" He cried out.

I. Wanted. To. Kill. Him. 'Kit, do me a favor, when you meet this guy face to face, would you so kindly punch him in the face? It would make me feel a lot better.' I heard Prelait say to me.

'You and me both. You didn't have to ask me for me to do it.' I told her, grinding my teeth a little. This guy definitely knew what his looks did to women, I was only hoping one thing at this point, and that is that Lufia wouldn't fall for him. I could care less who she falls for, except I don't want it to be this guy.

"Hey, asshole, SHUTUP!" Karell screamed at him, and Karell was officially my hero. Well, not really, but you know what I mean.

"Geez, you two don't have to be so harsh." He told us, in what sounded like a wounded voice. Drama queen. "So, what is the plan?" He asked us, in what sounded like an eager voice.

"The plan is for you to shut up." Both Karell and I said in unison. Sometimes, I found it scary how we were alike sometimes.

I heard a slight groaning from within my cell. I think Lufia was waking up, or not eating a while was taking its toll on me. I looked over at Lufia, and then she stretched out, like most cats do when waking up. Then she rolled onto all four legs, and then stretched out one leg at a time, before she pounced up onto her hind legs, and stretched again like that. You know, if it weren't for her demonic qualities, in the sunlight, you would think she was some pure maiden. However, knowing she could put up a fight, I wasn't about to fall for that misconception. "I needed that nap." She said, sounding a little cheerful. It was amazing what a rest could do for someone who needed it.

I think I heard someone's eyes fly wide open. It sounded like a bell winning a prize as well. What was that? "Is that the sound of a melodious voice I hear? From a delicate flower, only that voice could have sprung from there." Ah, that answers my question. "Tell me, my sweet little rose bud, why is someone as delicate sounding as you down here?"

Lufia gave me a queer look, and then walked over, and whispered to me "Master, who is that?" In a slightly confused voice.

I whispered back to her "Lufia, that would be some new prisoner down here. Sounds a bit like a ladies man as well. Unfortunately for us, he also has the look to woo any woman he sees. So, he is annoying me right now."

Lufia got a look of recognition on her face, and then she grinned a little evilly. It was a frightening sight with only her blood red eyes, and teeth showing, because the rest of her face appeared black because of the light behind her. Really creepy as well. "Well big boy," She said, putting a seductive tone in her voice. If it wasn't for the look on her face, I would think she was serious about seducing him. "You want to know why they put me in here?"

"Indeed I do, you sweet little thing. The only crime I see is locking up a flower as delicate and beautiful as you." He said, sounding a little wounded that people would do that in the first place.

"How would you know if I am beautiful? You have never seen me, nor I you. Alas, we shouldn't be doing this, not with these two others here. It is ill-becoming of me." She said, actually sounding sad. I wonder if the guy knew she was toying with him, and not the other way around, like he probably thinks.

"Your voice is the only tool I need to know how beautiful you are. Even if your outside is ugly, your inside must be a blissful place of harmony. A man with any brain would be able to look past your exterior, and see you for who you really are. So what if other can hear you? Does it matter what they think? No, the only thing that matters right now is you." He said, sounding like a man in love. He was experienced in this matter, I would give him that.

"Well, if you two are done playing lovey-dovey and done making me sick, we kind of need to get out of here." Karell said, sounding aggravated by the scene he was hearing. I don't blame him, if I thought Lufia was being serious, I would probably contemplate letting her go as my slave. Wait, does that mean I was slowly accepting that little fact? Work on your mind later, escape now.

"Oh yeah, you should know why I am in here." Lufia said, sounding a little like a woman in love. Then her voice turned matter-of-fact like, and then she told him "You see, I destroyed three villages by myself, killed so many top officials, for the heck of it, I slayed an entire pack of genin who thought I would make a nice pet, and on top of that, I have fought demons, I am currently a slave to someone, and on top of that, you aren't my type." She told him, laying it all down at once. "So, what are you in for?"

"Lufia, did you really do all that?" I asked her, wondering if for a fact she did do something like that.

"Yes." She told me, in a short clipped reply.

Well, she wasn't squeamish about killing; I found this to be a good thing. I heard that new guy stay silent for a little bit. "Well, I am in, this is embarrassing." He said, I think he was trying to dodge the question. "You see, I am in for hitting on one of the noble's daughters. For the record, she said it was okay!" He said, a little too loudly for me to believe it was just 'hitting on,' personally, I thought it was something a lot more…natural than that.

"Right, asshole, shut up. I'm getting sick of listening to you run your mouth." Karell said, right before I heard the sound, of flesh being forcibly ripped open. I head a small squish, and then I heard a familiar sound. It was the sound of a blade leaving a scabbard, exactly like Karell's Katana.

"I have a name you know!" He yelled at him, sounding a bit annoyed about this, on top of that, he was tricked.

"Well, you haven't exactly told us your name, have you?" I told him, in a little bit of a stupid voice. It was hard for me to make a serious one with this guy. "We wouldn't have to make up names for you if you told us yours." Okay, we would probably still make up names for him. I wouldn't tell him that though.

"Oh." He said, in one of the stupidest voices I have heard, as though he had forgotten he had a name. "Sorry, you see, my name is Dagnarus. Sorry about that." He said, sounding a little ashamed for forgetting that. He should be ashamed if he did as well.

I heard the sound of steel slashing through iron, and the sound of metal hitting stone. It came from Karell's direction. I heard footsteps, and then Karell walked in front of my cell. He had blood pouring out of a wound in his right leg. I saw a really small sword in his hand, not even close to the length of his katana. He then slashed open the bars, and they fell to the ground. I noticed that Karell was panting rather heavily; the pain must be really intense. I really should help him.

"Karell, move your shirt, so that I can see your chest, right where your heart is." I told him, moving toward him.

He gave me a puzzled look, and then he told me "Naruto, I'm not interested in guys."

"Not for that reason you idiot!" I told him, an aggravated sound in my voice. "I am going to heal you so that you can actually fight. As long as you have a blade, even a stinking butter knife, you are deadly. We need another blade anyway." I told him, hoping he would listen.

Karell appeared a little uneasy, however, in the end, he moved his shirt slightly to show his chest, right where his chest was. I saw a scar going across his chest, and one vertical one as well. It made his heart look like it had barely survived everything that was happening or happened to him. I put my hand on his chest, and then I shoved demonic energy into him, completely healing his little wound. He appeared a little amazed, however, I noticed that none of his scars healed. They must be pretty deep ones.

"Naruto, you do know I have to put this blade back at some point, right?" He asked me, indicating the small sword in his hand. Oh. Well, I guess I would have to heal that wound as well.

"Karell, just what kind of blade is that? I haven't seen one before, least of all, I have never seen anyone pull it out of their skin. You know what, put it back in yourself away from me, and don't make me look." I told him, getting disturbing images in my head of him putting the small blade back inside of him. I can't believe he is crazy enough to have a blade inside of him.

"Naruto, this is the Katanas little brother, a Wakizashi. It is made tiny for a reason, is to be used if the katana is currently indisposed of, and as a last resort. Any good warrior if he has a katana also has a Wakizashi." He told me, sounding again like he was the guru of blades. For all I know, he might be.

"Hey, people!" I heard Dagnarus cry to us. "Are you going to let me out to help you?"

"I don't know, how can we be sure to trust you?" Karell asked him, and I think I saw him prepare his Wakizashi to be sued against him. I wouldn't really blame him, except, we kind of need out equipment back, and we need to know our way around.

"Karell go open his cage, we need him, as much as I hate to admit it. However, Lufia, you are watching him, if he tries to make a break for it, kill him." I told her, without any feeling of remorse in my voice. I shouldn't pity someone who might be a traitor.

"Done deal!" I heard Dagnarus say to us, and then in an after voice he said "Being watched by such a sweet thing, who wouldn't want that."

Boy was he in for a surprise. I heard the bars get slashed open, and then I heard him walk out of the cage. "Hello, I'm Lufia, your little watch-cat. Make a break for it, and I will kill you without hesitation. And, before you ask the question, no I am not human, in fact, I am a demon. So, I assume you won't be trying anything right?" She asked, in a really sweet voice. Anyone could tell the sinister threat behind that sweet little voice.

"Um…yeah." He said, in a rather uneasy voice, I was guessing this was from seeing that Lufia wasn't exactly a 'delicate flower' like he had first called her.

They walked over to me, and I whipped around suddenly, and punched Dagnarus in the face. He lifted off the ground, and crashed into it back first. "What the hell was that for?!" He yelled at me, rubbing his back after he stood up.

"That was for annoying me with all the drama from earlier." I told him, in a rather dangerous tone. "You know what Lufia, I have changed my mind. If he makes a break for it, incapacitate him. I want to slaughter him myself."

"By your will, master." She said, sounding a little excited, as though she hoped he would try to make a break for it.

'Thank you kit, for slamming him into the dirt.' I heard Prelait say to me.

'Trust me, it was my pleasure.' I thought to her.

Well, it looks like we are about to cause mass pandemonium, create imbalance, kill people, get Hokara back, and on top of that, I had to kill the guy who put Lufia under that torture. Well, it looks like we have a lot to do, and a little amount of time to do it. "Alright everyone, let's go!" I said, rushing forward, listening to their feet trample behind me, as they followed my lead. Red seems like a good color right now. Specifically, blood red looks extremely good right now.

General Badaxe- Well, that chapter took me a little longer to make than I would have liked. Also, this one really only had one setting, it took me longer to get them past this part than I would have liked. Sorry if it seems like a filler to everyone out there, but I needed to set it up for the next chapter. I'll admit, this chapter isn't my favorite, and it is a breath of fresh air to put it out, and be able to get onto something I will enjoy writing. **KtheG**, I wouldn't make promises you might not keep. I might do something that annoys you, or I might do something you might not agree with, and quit reading. Well, that finishes everything I need to talk about. Until I update again, see you all later. Hopefully, the next chapter will be better than this one, it shouldn't be too hard at least.


	9. Chapter 9

General Badaxe- Sorry it took so long for me to update right now. A friend of mine asked me to write her a murder mystery, and she is a senior. So, she is leaving before summer, so I have to get the story done before schools over, so sorry if this one isn't at the top of my list. So, this story might not get updated as often, however, I will update it eventually, don't worry about that. Well, let us move on to the reviews. **Emptyheaded** I will give you props. You have actually given me a pretty valid reason to make this a harem. It is the 'there are too many yaoi' part that made me consider it. I agree, there are too many. As for him deserving it, I think how he was treated made him a stronger and more powerful individual, and installed his little justice code into himself. So, I don't think that is a valid reason. As for ripping out Sasuke's heart, I don't need any Sasuke fangirls (or fanboys, I know you exist out there somewhere.) yelling at me. **Megaolix **As for it only being told from Naruto's point of view…pardon me if this seems like I am being a jerk, but why did it take you about 100k words to figure that out? As for his group, why is his group getting big? He has Himself, Karell, Lufia, Hokara, and apparently Dagnarus right now. Not a very big group, now if I gave him an army, I would understand then. As for that, you really don't understand me as a writer yet; you will see what is happening later on, possibly in this chapter. You will see why I have no problem making an OC. **XxExX** Thank you for informing me about that error, I will give the second chapter a look through after I am done making this one. **The Lone Dreamer **Yeah, I am currently toying with the idea of putting Hinata in this one. Don't know if I should or not yet. I'll decide by my next chapter (Hopefully that one won't take me this long to update. I'm not guaranteeing anything however.) I already have a couple requests not to put her in it (Why, I have no idea. Personally, I can think of a couple things to do to Naruto that make me chuckle just thinking about it.) So, I'll have a definite answer for you next chapter. Well, now that all of that is out of the way, let us begin.

We were rushing through the hallway, and so far we haven't raised an alarm. I knew it wouldn't be long before they checked the cells, or we accidentally ran into someone. So we would need to do this as fast as possible. If only we knew exactly where we needed to go. I guess we just have to do it by trial and error. Hopefully not too many people would get in our way. However, Karell doesn't have a very good weapon actually. His katana is what he needs, and frankly, I don't know if Dagnarus will even be able to help us. However, he is able to keep up with us while we are running, and he is silent about it. He has some sort of training. What kind is it is the only question.

I found our first problem, and no, it wasn't people. There was a split path. I didn't want to split us up, but I guess we didn't have a choice. Three way split, one going straight, one going left, one going right. The walls remained the same, stone all directions. They needed to decorate or something, this was pretty bleak. "Lufia, take Dagnarus and go straight, Karell you go right, I'll go left. Anyone gets in your way, kill them, but try to be silent about it." I told them. They didn't need to tell me that they understood, it was a sort of mutual agreement. The only one I thought would complain would be Dagnarus, but he was silent, how kind of him. I'm guessing having a cat demon right by you would silence your tongue.

When we hit the intersection, we split up along our respective routes. Straight ahead, I didn't know what was there. My blood was pumping though, it felt good. I was unable to do anything in my cell, but now that I was free, I could do anything I wanted. As I moved forward, the scenery changed a little. I smelled blood, and it was slowly getting thicker the farther down here that I ran. I needed more than my hands though; I needed some kunai or shuriken. I would prefer both, but I would settle for one of them.

I heard some sick sounds, a crack before I heard someone scream, I was guessing that this was the torture section. If that was the case, then this was where they had tortured Lufia. I think I will just kill everyone here, well, kill all the torturers. This will make sure that whoever had her specifically would die. Nothing like a little genocide before I get back to my group though. As I kept moving, I started to notice little spots of dried blood on the floor, and when I got even closer, there was some on the walls.

I saw a door, and I decided to go through it. Mainly because I heard some screams emanating from it, as well as the sharp crack that was unmistakably a whip. I moved, and got right next to the door, before I slowly eased it open. I slipped inside, becoming nothing more than a shadow of death itself. I didn't close the door, might have made too much noise. I saw him, the man hitting someone chained to the wall with a whip. He was chained so that his back was to the wall. Small amounts of blood was dripping down his back. His hair was a strangled mess of blood and sweat; it was a light brown color. His shirt was gone, and he had on a pair of grey, torn shorts.

The torturer wore a black shirt, as well as a pair of black pants. He wore a pair of black leather gauntlets. His boots were a light brown color, but the fronts were stained with blood. He was bald, and that made it seem a little more appropriate for him to be doing this job. He held a whip in his right hand; it was slowly dripping blood into a small puddle on the floor. The blood was a little intoxicating. For every drop, I saw another strike against Lufia, and anger was slowly swelling inside of me.

I moved as silently as I could, moving closer to the torturer. I got right behind him, and thought of how to kill him. I could paralyze him by hitting his spinal column, but I might miss and then I would have to deal with him unless I was quick enough. No, I'll just have to use the good old fashioned neck snap move. I grabbed his head, and before he could cry out, I twisted it hard to the right, until I heard a satisfying cracking sound, and then his body went limp. He dropped his whip, and it made a small sound. "Is someone there?" I heard a hoarse voice say from the chains, it was the guy.

"Yeah, don't worry about it; I'll get you out of here." I told him, looking over the corpse in front of me. I found a key on him, and I was hoping it was the key to the chains. I walked to the guy, and then tried to shove the key into the slot, only to realize that it wouldn't fit. Damn it. I took the key, and then I shattered the little teeth on it, so that it was basically an iron pole. I put that in the key slot, and then fiddled around with it, until I unlocked it. Then I moved to the other one, and opened that one.

The guy turned around, revealing that he had a strong upper lip, and a pointed nose. He had a uni-brow, and his eyes were the color of sky blue. I admit, it was a little memorizing, even to me. "Thank you for freeing me, I thought I was going to die in this place."

"No problem, we all need a little help now and then." I told him, putting the broken key into my pocket. Who knows when I will need it. I heard the door behind us open all the way, and something told me I was about to curse.

"Intruder!" I heard a voice yell at the top of their lungs, and my cover was blown. Suddenly, I was shoved out of the way by the guy who had just been tortured, and when I looked back, I saw that he had two kunai in his chest. He slumped over, and fell to the ground, blood pouring out of him. I guess he was going to die in this place anyways.

I rushed over, and grabbed both of the kunai and ripped them out of his chest. After I was done doing that, I threw myself at the two guards as quickly as I could. I deflected one kunai thrown at me, and the other threw a shuriken which I deflected. Then one pulled a short sword, while the other one pulled out a familiar weapon. It was Karell's katana. I slashed the short sword into the air with one kunai, while stabbing him in the chest with the other one. I pulled out, and then I whipped around and threw the other one kunai at the other guy.

He caught it, and then realized that I had also launched a fireball at him. He rolled out of the way, and then stood upright, Karell's katana in a defensive position. I had one kunai in front of me, my other hand gripping a little curved sword made of bright blue electricity. Unfortunately, the small electric sword had a couple drawbacks. I couldn't form any more chakra anywhere else in my body. Also, holding the sword hurt me slightly, as well as making my eyes a bit unstable because of the electric current passing through my body. So, it wasn't going to be something I used often, needless to say.

I rushed at him, dragging the electric sword along the ground, sending small sparks dancing along the path I was taking. My kunai was up there with my eyes, the point centered on my opponent so that I could follow him better. He took a slice at me, and I connected our swords. Now then, the beautiful thing is that metal conducts electricity. It conducts it pretty well. So, let me ask you, what happens when someone holding metal gets struck with a sword made out of electricity?

Well, I know his hair stood on end; he appeared like he was trying to wrench his hand from the sword with no avail, and on top of it, it smelled like burning flesh. Nasty little smell, but it couldn't be helped. All in all, it looked like a rather unpleasant way to die. I wasn't willing to test the theory of course. I walked over to the body, and picked up Karell's katana, he would be really happy to have it returned to him.

I walked away, looking farther down the hallway. I heard footsteps coming from the direction I was heading before I went into that room. Too many footsteps. I would be a fool to stay around here; I can't take on this many people. If I used Prelait's power, I might, but now is not the time or the place. Bringing down this flimsy structure isn't a high one on my priority. Especially when I am inside of the structure. I ran in the opposite direction, trying not to make too much noise. I didn't need to die right now.

My breathing was becoming heavier, running this hallway didn't make it easier on me. I see the intersection up ahead. If I turn left, I'll go to where Lufia and Dagnarus are, and if I go straight, I'll meet up with Karell. Currently, I have Karell's katana strapped to my back, so I should go to him. I assume Lufia can handle Dagnarus, but who knows, he might be better than he looks. Well, I wish her luck in that case. I'm going straight, so I can meet up with Karell.

I'll be honest with you, these hallways are endless. I go straight, and I think I have been going for…about three minutes without catching up to Karell, or even seeing a sign of him. In fact, the footsteps behind me have faded as well. That was odd; usually you follow the person you are supposed to be chasing. I didn't take any elaborate escape route either. If they split a group up, they would be able to cover all of their bases. This was a bit puzzling.

A strong scent flooded the air, as suddenly as an earthquake. It was a strong and easily identifiable one: The scent of blood. People were dead or dying up ahead. Slowly, as I advanced along, I could hear the screams of people getting killed, and as I moved even closer, I could hear a blade sinking into flesh. I heard bones being crushed, the sound of a wet meat smashing against walls, and the undeniable sound of a silent assassin: None. I heard the noise of people dying, and so many other sickening sounds. However, no laughter, no taunting, no sound from the person doing the killing.

I moved even farther, and then I started to see signs of the battle. At first, I only saw some blood which had started to spill down the hallway; I decreased my speed so that I wouldn't slip in the blood. As I moved along, I saw blood on the walls, and even more along the floor, until it was a special red carpet to be treaded upon by other sick creatures. Then I started to see organs and bodies all around, and let me tell you, there were plenty of them.

Some of the deaths looked horrible as well. I saw one who was pinned to the wall by an axe through the chest, another was hanging from the ceiling by a whip with blades along it, someone who was headless had their head pinned to the side wall by a kunai, one of them appeared like hen was literally ripped in half. Another had giant teeth marks all over him, as though a wolf had ripped into them, another was just a heart, surrounded by a body that looked like the flesh was peeled off of it.

This was not Karell's handiwork. Karell slices people to bits, and sometimes, I could imagine him hitting people with kunai. However, he doesn't have the strength to rip people in half; neither would he hang people by a whip. Someone else was here. Who was it is my only question, and what are they doing here? Ok, so I have two. Sue me for lying.

Is Karell ok? Who or whatever did this doesn't look like they are pulling punches. Great, that idiot can't die yet; I still have to use him for a couple things. Ok, I might be sad as well, hence on might by the way. I might not be sad; in fact, I might think that he deserves it. Well, we don't have time to ponder these thoughts; we have to move forward, and pretty fast as well.

As I moved closer, I started to hear a small sound, the sound of an annoying rapid-paced click, a little like a bug rubbing its feelers together. Also, I heard a small sound, the sound of metal scraping on stone, and occasionally, another piece of metal. Worse than nails on a chalk board, it was starting to grate my own sanity as I moved closer to the retainer or retainers of those sounds. I hope Karell was a part of those sounds, I would be a little disappointed in him if he wasn't: Karell was born to be trouble to anyone.

I took a sharp left at an intersection to head toward the sounds that were wailing inside of my skull. Next question: Why does this place have so many corridors? It is like some divine force put them here just to see how much he could annoy me before I decide to hunt him down and kill him! Not only were the hallways long, but they had multiple intersections to go up and down. Currently, I was following the sounds and blood trail some people were kind enough to leave behind for me. I would have to thank those people later. Ok, no I don't but I might do it later. Possibly, maybe.

I saw a couple people coming into focus. Well, I should rephrase that thought. I saw a person , and….some sort of monstrosity. As I moved closer, I could make the figures out. One of them was Karell, Wakizashi in hand, clutching a wound along his left arm. His legs were ok, so he could have lasted a while longer. However, I noticed a couple wounds on his chest, both vertical, cutting down most of his clothes, and revealing a bloody underside of him. He was going to get a couple new scars.

The other thing, as I stated before, was nothing but a monster. It stood about, I was estimating eight feet tall, give or take half a foot. It was furry all over its body, small little hairs sprouting from its sides. It arms were long and slender; he had about six of them. Two of them were made of metal and curved around to imitate some sort of exotic sword. The other arms, two of them held regular Katanas, and the other two had a bow and arrow knocked. Compound bow. The eyes were bulging from his head, and appeared to be made of thousands of hexagons, as though he could see in all directions at once. A little like the Byakugan, except I don't think that it could see behind itself. Two, what looked like antennas, were sticking out of its head, slightly waving around, and rubbing together creating that annoying sound. Two big wings were sprouting from its back, thin long, and looked like veins were going around it. The wings looked a little frail. It had two thick legs, which it used to stand, and was still, I think glaring, at Karell. I couldn't see any wound son its body. However, I did notice that that thing had blood coating its body, and a lot of it. I'm guessing this guy was the one that killed all the ninja back there. Where did it come from?

I didn't have time to think about that, as it turned around, and looked at me. Then something scary happened: It looked at me with; I think lust, in its eyes. Then it gave a sharp, strong word, and then it kind of confirmed my fear. **"Female." **It seemed to say, I had no idea where it spoke from however.

'Prelait. I'm guessing that this is a male demon, and that he senses you inside of me. If I may ask, how the Hell did a demon get here?' I thought to her, pulling out a kunai, and having my other hand grip around Karell's katana, preparing to give it to him.

'Well kit, yes it is a demon. A weak one, but still a demon. Yes, it is male, and it senses my power, and hopes to, put simply, fuck me. Well, you in this case, so I wouldn't get knocked out. You might not want to wake up at that point. As for how it got here, I have no idea. Only really powerful demons can force themselves into other dimensions, and this one is simply too weak to even attempt it with any hope of success. Someone might of brought it here, and if that is the case, then there might be more than one of these suckers floating around. Kit, it is pretty weak for a demon, however, that doesn't mean it will be a pushover: The demon and human standards are completely different. Then again, you shouldn't need any help wit this guy. After all Karell will be helping you. I don't expect you to call on my power, unless you need a quick finish to this. Good luck!' She thought to me, in a happy energetic voice. I hate her sometimes, making this sound like an easy job.

I threw the katana at Karell, right past the weird demon. And in retrospect, it wasn't a smart move. He knocked the blade aside, and then started to rush at me, pulling the compound bow back as he ran closer. He let loose a bolt, as I rolled to the side, and then ran on the wall to regain my footing. I jumped off of the wall at him, bringing with me a broken part of the wall I ripped out, and then I threw it at the demon. It was cleaved in half, as the demon rushed even closer. I inhaled a lot of air, and then I blew fire out of my mouth in order to get the creature away from me. All it did was flip, and then stick to the ceiling, before it started to resume its charge.

I heard the familiar sound, of a blade leaving its home, and then small footsteps that were so fast they sounded like one long chain of marchers. I heard them switch direction sharply before Karell appeared in front of me. "All right you overgrown piece of shit!" Karell bellowed, sounding pretty pissed off. "Don't you think it is a little wrong that you want to have sex with another guy, that isn't your own species? Are you gay, as well as…I suppose being a bestiality addict would be the closest thing to your case as I can get. Now then, die!" He said, rushing forward, as such a speed my eyes had to strain themselves to keep up with him.

He was on the floor, and then he was suddenly on the right side of the wall, running along it without chakra as though it was a sidewalk! Then he was gone again, and he reappeared on the left wall, and then he even picked up the pace! Then he was on the ceiling, and he was almost on top of the demon. The demon shot his bow at Karell, who dived onto the floor just as the demon departed from the ceiling and came at Karell, who jumped out of the way as four blades ripped into the ground, where a giant explosion appeared, and sent fragments of stone everywhere. How was he able to keep up with Karell? I had a hard time with that…Not good.

Could it be those eyes of his? Being able to look in that many directions at once must make it easy to track someone, because you don't even have to turn your head to see them. This will be a little tougher than I thought. "Karell, don't bother with tricks. Those eyes allow it to see all around it; it could see your movement's plain as day." I told him, pulling out the one kunai I had. I should have looted one or two bodies on my way here.

"Yeah, I think I have figured that out. You wouldn't believe how many guys this thing has killed, and on top of that, those four blades keep me away from it." Karell told me, keeping his katana in a defensive position. "I could get close, but the bows arrows slow me down, and then he comes in with those damn blades of his. If you could manage to disrupt one of those blades, or the bow would be even better, I could get him. However, until then, I am basically on the defensive. Sorry about that." He told me, putting his katana back into his sheathe.

"What are you doing?!" I yelled at him, looking at the demon in front of us. "This guy isn't dead, you had better pull that weapon of yours back out this instant!" I was slightly furious at him for that.

"Naruto, trust me on this one." He said to me, pulling out his Wakizashi, which he had stored in his right pant-leg. Probably did it when he grabbed his katana, possibly before then. I didn't really have a choice in the matter, did I?

"Fine, but if we die, when I get to Hell I am finding you and kicking your ass." I told him, forming a fireball in my left hand, while my right one held a kunai. The demon ahead of me let out a horrible screech, forcing me to extinguish my fireball, and turn my kunai so that I could cover my ears. It was a maddening sound; the dead themselves seemed to be crying out to me. It ended suddenly, and I looked up, to see a couple of swords curving into my position. Damn.

I flipped backwards out of the way, just to feel a hairy shoulder crush into my stomach, and launch me backwards. I hit the wall, just to hear a small sound, a little like a string vibrating. Wait…Crap! I rolled to the side, as a couple arrows embedded themselves into the wall, and I looked up again, just to see a couple more blades descending in on my position. This thing was fast, I would give him that much. Then again, he also has six arms to get things done with. However, I was a bit fed up with dodging. I ran inside of his blades, past his bow, and ultimately, inside of his defense. It was my turn to be on the offensive.

I slammed my fist into its stomach, forcing it to double over, where I then smashed my foot into its face, lifting it into the air slightly. I ran under it, and then back flipped and kicked it into the air, where I launched myself after it. I twisted my body, kicked it once, twice, and a third time. Then I delivered a front flip axe kick, launching it into the ground. Then I flipped my body, and had my legs against the ceiling, where I pushed off with all my might, surrounding my fist in fire, as I descended at terminal velocity at the creature. It flipped onto its legs, and jumped out of the way. I flipped myself as well, landing hard on my legs; it was rather painful in fact. Then I used the force of my landing to throw myself at the creature. It started spinning the four blades around, preventing me from getting close to it. When I was just outside the range of the blades, before is slammed my fist into the ground.

The ground around us then started to glow an eerie red color, and you could see cracks started to surround me and the creature. Slowly, the cracks seemed to glow a bright white color as they started to separate from one another. "Go to Hell!" I yelled at it, before slashing my fist up. The ground around us then ripped apart, unleashing an infernal torrent all around us, sending rock flying around, and flames annihilating the entire hallway. The creature reeled backwards, barely getting out of the path of flames.

I brought all of the flames into my fist, making my fist a part of Hell, blisters and all. I pointed it at the creature ahead of me. "Say hello to the dead for me." Was my reply, before I sent all the flames rocketing down the hallway, and slamming into the creature, which was propelled backwards at the force of the blast. Suddenly, all four blades started to spin rapidly, and then I noticed that the flames separated, and traveled around this creature. Damn it, this thing just won't die!

"You left yourself open!" I heard Karell yell out, behind the creature. I heard the sound of rushing thunder suddenly, and my flames seemed to be drawn into his blade! The creature whipped around suddenly, the threat of the flames abated, and focused on Karell. Karell's katana was glowing an eerie red color, and I noticed that Karell himself seemed to be a lot more…focused than usual. "This is a blade technique I have mastered, and you are the first to feel it in actual combat!" Karell cried out. "In fact, I need someone to even conjure flames to use it! Now then, feel the fires of Hell! Infernal Torment Blade Technique!" He cried, before he slashed, right through the four blades of the creature, where fire proceeded to follow, before the creature was consumed, and then an explosion ripped through the creature, before Karell sheathed his katana, and then walked past the ashes that were the corpse of that creature, and walking to me.

I could only stare. That move was pretty damn impressive. "Karell, what was that?" I asked him, my voice shaky, I was still a little stunned. I looked at the walls, and in fact, there was a flame-like blade mark in the walls where he had slashed as well. I estimated them to go three feet deep, in each direction. No wonder his blade cut through those four metal ones with ease.

"Well Naruto, that was one of many techniques I have mastered." He told me, looking at his handiwork for a little bit. "I am no fool. In case I ever have to fight a ninja that uses a lot of jutsus, I need some way to nullify them. I took it a step further and even made some techniques that need an element in my blade to activate them. Of course, getting that element into my blade requires me to use my ki to control the element, force it into my blade, and not break my blade. It is hard, but well worth it."

"Karell, do you have any other techniques like that?" I asked him, a little amazed at him. Who would have thought he would have something like that up his sleeve. I'm kind of happy I learned about it like this, opposed to actually fighting him and realizing too late he is using my own techniques to his own advantage.

"Yeah, I have quite a few actually. However, using them is a lot of work, and it requires a certain element as well. Therefore, it is hard for me to actually use the move." He said to me, shrugging a little casually.

"One last question: Do you have to yell out the name of the move you are using?" I asked him, wondering about that part a little bit.

"Well, no I don't. However, I like the name 'Infernal Torment' so I am going to say it before some crack job asshole sees the move and decides to name it himself." He told me, before he started to walk forward. "Let's go, we need to go further on. That creature might have some friends, and I don't exactly want to meet them."

I wasn't going to argue with him in this case. I walked with him, walking along the hallway. It didn't take long before we didn't see any blood on the walls, or floor for that matter, anymore. "Karell, those wounds, will you be ok?" I asked him, mildly concerned. I just wanted to know if I could count on him for another fight, or if he was out of it right now.

"Don't worry Naruto, I can still fight. Nothing to worry about. As long as my right arm is ok, and my legs are fine, I can keep on fighting. Unless of course, my head is ripped off, or my heart is gone. Then we have a problem." He said, telling a small joke. I say this because he chuckled to himself a little bit.

We walked along the hallway in silence, keeping our ears open for anything else that would trouble us. I didn't hear anything, but Karell must sense something, because I saw him grip his katana hilt a little tighter, ready to draw it in an instant. I kept myself prepared as well. I kept a kunai in my right hand. Well, my only kunai. We kept moving forward, and nothing special happened. Well, besides us basically getting lost. We have no idea which way we are going, too many corridors to keep track of our position. Then we came upon something strange.

We saw a pair of giant iron doors. They had carvings all over them, most of them into intricate symbols, and sometimes, I could almost make out a hand seal or a picture of something I couldn't identify. There was a pair of iron door handles jutting out of them, giving the door a strange twisted appearance, as though it housed inhuman objects. "Should we go through them?" I asked Karell, tightening my grip on the kunai in my hand, a little worried of what might be behind the door.

Karell went closer to the pair of doors, and began to inspect them a little closer than I had, trying as hard as he could to see what might be behind them, but it appeared to be with no avail. "Well, I don't see any reason we shouldn't. However, keep your guard up. We have no idea what might be on the other side." He said to me, putting his hand on one of the giant iron rods exploding from the door.

"Really? I was planning on taking a casual stroll through enemy territory, thank you for warning me to keep my guard up." I said to him, in a rather plain voice.

We walked through the doors, and the light inside was blinding. It had been so long since I have been outside. As I stepped out into the open, I realized a little bit that I wasn't really outside. I was, in a sense, but really, I was indoors. Confusing? Well then, let me explain it to you. By all technical terms I was outside, with the sun shining down on us, the air being clean, and it was a little cold. However, we were also in a building. Specifically, it was a coliseum.

I went back to back with Karell; both of us had weapons out. The coliseum was packed, however, no one was cheering. They all looked excited, but they didn't cheer for some reason. I saw in the middle of one of the stands a special section; it appeared to be for the emperor of the village or something. Whatever they called the head guy here. The rest of the stands were plain and made out of stone. That section had a banner over it, as well as a covering that gave it shade. There were special chairs there; one was made out of gold with gems adorning it all over. The other one was made of silver, and that was it. Someone was cheap for the person they cared about or something. Across from the coliseum was a steel gate, the kind that usually you think about starved animals behind them.

"Master!" I heard a familiar voice cry out, and I heard footsteps coming really fast at me. I turn around, just in time to have Lufia wrap her arms around me and lift me into the air. "Master! So good to see you again! I missed you; you have no idea how boring it is without you. All I could talk to was Dagnarus, and after the initial shock of me being a demon wore off, all he seemed to want to do was get into my pants. It was really annoying."

"Well, that sounds like you had a rough time." I said to her. "Now then, if you would be kind enough to put me down? I want to know what is going on."

She let me down, a smile beaming on her face. She appeared really happy to see me. Well, once again, the slave/master issues of demons confuse me. I give up trying to figure it out. I saw Dagnarus lumber in behind her, looking a little worried about something. I noticed he had an axe on his back. And it was one heck of an axe. It was thick; I was estimating about two feet thick. The blade protruded about three feet from the hilt, which stretched about six feet long. It was bigger than him, and yet, he carried it around on his back easily. Too easily for me too like, he knew how to use the thing. This would explain his bulky build.

"What is your problem?" I asked him, being as cold as I could be. I still didn't like this guy.

"Well, other than having to fight countless people, followed by some strange three armed creature that needed to be killed, nothing special. In all honesty, I'm waiting for something else crazy to happen now. My day probably couldn't get much more surreal than it is now." He sighed out loud.

"Sort of like the iron doors behind you closing on their own, and locking?" I asked him, watching as the doors behind him did close on their own, and the sound of a lock tumbling into place.

Dagnarus looked behind him, and then muttered one word "Damn." Before he fell silent. I was grateful to him for shutting up. I needed a better understanding of the place we were in. The people looked excited, but they remained solemn for some reason. Either they had a pretty strict discipline, or something was up. I was going with the latter.

All of their heads turned, looking toward the special section of the stadium now. Curiosity took hold of me; I looked over at the seats as well. I saw a man, obviously the leader, sit down in the chair. He was bald, with a scar running down his left eye in the shape of a lightning bolt. His eyes were black. He had on thick armor as well; I have no idea if this was for show. He carries on him a giant blade, about as big as Dagnarus's axe. His armor was a bright white color, with golden trimming. However, it bore a lot of scratches and dents, obviously used in combat. Someone who knew combat pretty well was my guess.

What shocked me more was who walked up to the silver seat and sat down. It was a beautiful woman with long slender blue hair. She had ice blue eyes, full of regret and boredom etched into them. She was wearing a white dress, with jewels adorning her sleeves. It traveled down to about four inches past her knees. She also was wearing a pair of silver shoes. She sat down in her seat, and looked over at our little group. Our eyes connected, and realization struck me. Hokara.

I didn't want to seem obvious, but I wanted to talk to her. Then again, it doesn't help she was about thirty feet above me. In order to talk to her, I would have to actually climb up the wall and walk to her. That would be a bit obvious. Just a little though. I wouldn't look at her too long either. No point in it. I am now just praying that I can get out of this alive.

The bald man, I presume that this is her father, stood up, and gazed intently at us, and then to the rest of the people. He didn't seem surprised to see us here. As though he was expecting us. I imagine he could have done it, but what would be the point? "Citizens!" He cried out, I was a little amazed he wasn't using anything to amplify his voice. He had quite a loud mouth. "I would like to present to you, the criminals responsible for the kidnapping of our long lost princess!" I would like to present this guy with a special someone. Specifically, something who is sealed inside of me, when she is drunk.

'Kit, I don't really think that anyone deserves that.' Prelait thought to me, sounding a little concerned. 'Now then, to hurt this man, I would gladly do it while I am sober. Just because I destroy villages when I get drunk, doesn't mean I abhor from violence! Goodness no, my life would be boring then.

'Prelait, trust me, I thought you have a tendency to get violent. Something about threatening me the first time we met comes to mind. Now then, if I may ask, do you sense anything? I don't exactly enjoy it here. This entire place seems a little…suspicious. Maybe it is the cells underneath a coliseum, the silent people in the coliseum, or the demon we fought under the coliseum.' I thought to her, still listening to the bald man talk to his people.

"Citizens, today we cast judgment! These people have wronged us, and no we will show them what happens when they anger us! We must support the people who have sacrificed themselves for our worthy cause! The people you love and care about have died so that we could accomplish what we have, and these people mean to tear down that structure we are using to support ourselves!" He bellowed out loud to everyone. At this part, I noticed that the crowd started to cheer wildly, like a normal crowd.

"Someone is full of themselves." Karell said rather dryly.

"He isn't the only one." Dagnarus commented as well.

"You, shut up." Karell said to him, without even looking at him.

'Kit, I have some really bad news.' Prelait thought to me. 'Well, you know the demon you fought? Well, under the coliseum, straight ahead, there are so many demonic signatures it is hard to tell them apart. Some of them aren't that weak either. You have faced stronger, but with this number, you might need to use my power. Well, if you can rely on your allies with all your might, then you won't need my power.'

'So, I'm going to need your power to clean out this infestation?' I thought to her, thinking about the people I have for my allies.

'Yeah, you will need it.' She thought to me, giggling a little. 'It has been a while since I have enjoyed a fight. This should be interesting.'

'Only you would be happy that I am about to go into an infestation of demons, risking life and limb to clean the place out. I swear, sometimes it is a pain in the rear to be me.' I thought to her, still paying some attention to the bald guy. I didn't really care what he said. He was preaching about the struggles of his country and all that crap. I hate it when leaders get on like this, and sadly, most of the time it fires a crowd up.

'Kit, for the record, I never said you had to go into that infestation of demons.' Prelait thought to me. 'You assumed I did. Now I can tell, you want to go into that infestation as well.' She giggled a little more, and then thought to me 'You know, sometimes it is as easy to read you as it is to read a book.'

Well, I wouldn't deny it, I wanted to go into that infestation of demons, and fight through all of them. I need the exercise anyways; I think I am gaining pounds. 'Ok, you got me. I want to go into the little colony. However, I want to be perfectly clear: I am doing this for the good of humanity, so that they never have to witness such untold evils visited upon them.' I thought to her.

'Kit, if I may ask, how are you able to even think that with a straight face? Knowing you as I do, that is a complete lie. Don't say that again, or you would be starting to scare me.' Prelait thought to me, actually sounding a little scared at the thought.

"Therefore, we will execute these people with exactly what they are: Monsters!" I heard the bald guy say finally, and I snapped to attention.

"Wait, what did he say?!" I said rather suddenly. I suppose it is what I get for zoning out a bit, and actually talking to an intelligent person for once in my life.

'Thanks kit.' Prelait thought to me, sounding a little perky at the compliment.

The gate on the other side started to lift, and then a creature, well demon, lumbered through the gates. It walked on six legs, and the back appeared made of some sort of armored carapace. It had a pair of giant tusks on the front, which looked strong enough to rend steel in half with. It was a brownish color, and the carapace appeared to be alive as well, as it slowly let off slow rivets of the flesh as though the entire thing was one giant heart. It had spines all along the back, protruding from it about two feet. The feet had claws on them; however, this creature didn't appear built for speed, so I wondered what the claws were for. On the front of it, were two small black holes, I assumed were the eyes of the creature. The head jutted from the body at a strange angle, almost at the top of the body, as though it was a horn itself. There was a wide split area in the center, I think it was the mouth, but there was nothing to indicate teeth or anything like them there. Only a small steady purple liquid was dripping from it, and as the liquid hit the ground, it made a small sizzling sound, before quickly dissipating.

"Right, so which one of us is going to fight that thing?" Karell asked us, sounding a little nervous. Couldn't blame him in all honesty.

"I nominate the new guy." I said, pointing at Dagnarus.

"You can go fuck yourself! If you think I am fighting that creature by myself, you have another thing coming!" Dagnarus yelled at us. "What kind of suicidal moron do you take me for? When I want to die, I'll go oppose an entire army by myself, thank you very much!"

"Well, your other option is that we beat the crap out of you, and then give you to the creature before playing rock, paper, scissors to see who is going to fight that thing." Karell said to him, sounding a bit displeased. "Anyways, you are the one wielding that huge axe; you might actually be able to put a dent in that thick carapace. My sword lacks the power, and frankly, the other two people in our group use their fists. You really are the only logical choice."

"You guys are royal pains, you know that?" Dagnarus asked us, pulling that large axe off of his back. Looked really odd, considering that Dagnarus is a midget. "When I get back, I swear, I'm giving you guys an earful." He started walking toward the creature, axe held on his shoulder, trying to size up the creature. The point of him doing this, I don't know. The problem with this theory is that you size people up by looking at stances, muscles, reactions, and looks. How do you do that to a creature you can't identify? You can't.

"Well ugly, looks like it is just me and you right now. I know my companions could help me, but they have decided to be assholes about this entire experience, and are making me fight alone. Well, it was a pleasure knowing you." Dagnarus said, before he took a bow, and lowered his head to the creature in front of him. "Now die!" He yelled out, rushing forward, dragging his axe behind him, but still keeping it off the ground.

He got in front of the monstrosity before he bolted to the side, as a wave of purple liquid escaped from the mouth of the creature, and spilled all over the ground, corroding anything in its path. Messing with acid…a little like playing with fire. Someone's going to get hurt. When he hit the ground, Dagnarus ripped forward with all his might, and slammed his axe into the side of the creature standing before him. The creature started to spin and slide away from Dagnarus, and then it dug its claws into the ground, to keep the movement to a minimum. Well, now we know what the claws are for.

I saw the side that was torn open by the axe; it was a nasty looking mark. However, what I saw inside of the wound was even worse. Maggots or a little twisted thing close to it was writhing inside of that giant…whatever it was. Well, I am kind of glad they didn't give us much food now; I don't think I would be containing it right about now. Also, the creatures inside of it that were white, turned to a blood red color, and then moved into the carapace, and healed the mark left by the axe. Well, Dagnarus had a lot more work ahead of him. I wonder if he is up to the task.

Dagnarus, as though hearing my thoughts, rushed at the side of the creature, and became fury incarnate. Never before have I seen an axe swung so fast, and neither do I expect to see it again. He slashed it about thirteen times, in the span of four seconds, before slamming his foot into the underside of the creature. It lifted into the air, rising, rising, and rising even more. Then I looked at Dagnarus, who then shoved off of the ground. The ground underneath him buckled, and splintered into thousands of pieces. He rose, extremely fast after the creature. He slammed his axe into the bottom of it, and it didn't go all the way through. He brought the creature up with him even higher. He flipped, and kicked the creature off of his axe, and then he twisted his body so that he would follow it headfirst.

He was falling now, falling at a rate I didn't think was possible. He accelerated rather quickly. He was on top of the creature in no time. He slammed the axe into the creature, making him fall even faster by attaching the axe to that thing, and forcing it to fall at the same time! a genius move in my opinion. Then he let go of the axe, started to spin his body, before grabbing the axe and violently ripping the axe out of the creature, and using the force to propel him away from the thing he embedded his axe in. He landed on one foot, and on one knee. Specifically, he was standing on his right foot, and his left knee. Then he stood up, and turned around to look at the creature.

The demon he was fighting was in bad shape. It was missing half of its carapace, as it was scattered around the field in tiny bits. The maggots, or whatever they were, were spilling out of the sides, there didn't appear to be enough to restore the creature from the damage that had been done to it. It was over; nothing could have recovered from that. Well, I could, and Prelait could. Other than us, no one could have survived that. Then something unexpected happened.

Acid, or whatever that purple gunk was, started to seep out of the carapace, and then it started to eat its own armor away! The maggots-like creatures spilled from it, being drowned inside of the acidic junk, letting out a high pitched squeal as they were eaten alive. Then the creature slowly stood on two, now very thin, legs. Now it had four arms, and the body was covered in that purple gunk. Then the purple gunk seemed to absorb into the skin, leaving behind a pink fleshy substance, it appeared very soft.

The bones were now protruding from its hands, and they looked rather sharp. Makeshift swords were my guess. It wasn't nearly as bulky now; it must actually have speed as well. The head still had a pair of dark beady eyes, but the tusks were now gone. The mouth was just a wide gaping maw staring at absolutely nothing. All in all, I was really happy that I had nothing to eat recently. I was feeling a little sick just thinking about food.

"Damn it, things are never easy are they?" Dagnarus said, easing the axe over his shoulder, panting rather heavily. "Well, it can't be helped. Dagnarus vs. the ugly creature round two, coming right up!" He said, lifting the axe off of his should, and launching himself forward at a terrifying speed. No where near Karells level mind you, in fact, out of the four of us currently here, he would be the slowest. However, that axe of his coming at you as fast as he was going, well, you would be scared as well.

He didn't get close to the new monster though; he stopped a little away from it, and slammed his axe blade into the ground, launching lots of earth fragments at the creature. A weird shield made of purple gunk enveloped the creature, and ate the rocks before they could connect. Dagnarus ran forward, while the shield was on, and then did something unexpected: He slammed his hand through the purple gunk! Was he completely retarded, or completely consumed by battle rage? A combination perhaps?

Suddenly, he ripped his hand out of the gunk, bringing with it that creature. His hand appeared fine as well, not so much as a blister marred that skin of his. He had the creature in one hand, and his axe in the other. He cleaved the creature in two with his axe, sending purple gunk flying everywhere, as well as ending that things life. He cut in half at the waist, leaving the top half separated from the bottom.

He threw the top half across the field, and then hitched his axe to his back again. He was grinning from ear to ear at this point, and started to slowly saunter toward us. The crowd was booing at this point, a couple jeered. However, not one of them could deny the fact that that was pretty impressive. He had a little respect from me as well. Taking on a demon like that, as well as rolling with the punches that were thrown at him. In all honesty though, I expected the demon to put up a tougher fight. Well, you win some, or you die I suppose. Well, he did well, and that was all that mattered. That and it meant it was one less fight I would have to tire myself out with.

Dagnarus was still sauntering toward us, obviously full of himself. Then he jerked suddenly. His eyes were wide open, and he appeared to be trying to catch his breath. He looked down, and so did I: There was a bone blade jutting from the middle of his chest. Another one burst through his skin, a little to the right of the other one. A third burst from his stomach, blood was pouring all the way down his chest, and was drenching that bone blade. A fourth one burst from his right arm, and they slowly lifted him into the air. There was that creature right behind him, lifting him into the air. It must have regenerated, because it was completely whole. Then it let Dagnarus slide from the blades and fall onto the ground. The crowd started to cheer wildly again. They would get what's coming to them, maybe not now, I know it will come back to them eventually.

Then the creature walked away, leaving Dagnarus to suffer his death. Well, in all honesty, I was glad it was him and not me. Must suck to be him. Karell stepped forward, and pulled out his katana, a look of rage on his face. It was a smoldering rage, the kind you see in someone's eyes. Then he cut the head off of Dagnarus, and then put both the body and the head in one of the shallow graves the Dagnarus had made himself. "Naruto. This one is mine." Karell said to me, his knuckles holding his katana whitening as he gripped it even tighter out of anger at the creature.

"Karell, I had no idea you had grown so attached to Dagnarus." I said to him wondering a bit. Karell could be just as cold as I was, not caring if someone fighting for us dies. I might have cared if I had traveled with him a bit longer, or actually gotten to know him .But I didn't, so I could care less.

"I didn't grow attached to him." Karell said to me rage was becoming evident in his voice as well. "I'm pissed off at the way he was killed. Two blades through the chest, both on either side of the heart, which would have been a quick death. The blade through the stomach was unnecessary, he was dead anyways. Also, the blade through his arm…that would never have been a killing strike. This thing just wanted him to suffer in his final moments. I could care less he died; it was the way he died which is forcing me to unleash my unspeakable fury upon this creature. This thing will die." Karell said that last part rather calmly, as though it was already a fact of life. That scared me, I almost never see Karell like this. Now, he was an avenger of ideals, not of blood, but ideals. Those are the scariest people to fight. Avengers of blood want to die partly, because part of them wants to go see their family or friends. However, one who wants to avenge their ideals, they won't die until that revenge is fulfilled, and usually, they become juggernauts of destruction. This was going to get ugly rather quickly.

Karell stood across from the creature, which had the four bone blades in a ready position. Karell appeared to be just standing there. However, I knew him better. He was sort of sizing the creature up. I mean 'sort of' as in he was waiting for it to make the next move. That, and he seemed completely focused on something, I just couldn't make out what. His blade began to change color; it was becoming a sort of brown color. Oh man, he was going to use another one of those blade techniques! He must be pissed. However, I have seen the one for fire, now then, which one did he have for earth?

The creature made the first move, rushing forward at Karell, and I will admit, it was rather quick since losing that bulky carapace. However, compared to Karell, the creature might as well be standing still. "Mother Earth grants you her cold embrace of the ground." Karell said, before swinging his sword. "I hope you suffer. Razing Earth Blade Technique!" He hollered out, before the ground itself came alive.

The ground under the creature exploded upwards, launching it high into the air. Then the stone fragments that made up that explosion surrounded the creature, before all slamming into him at once. Then the rocks formed together to create a stone tomb. Then I saw it fall to the ground, crashing into it with a strong force. Karell didn't waste time either. He rushed forward, and arrived at the tomb of his own design. Then I saw him stop for one second, before disappearing completely. He appeared on the other side of the tomb, his blade was slightly dirt. Then the tomb fell apart, perfectly, as though someone had cut it apart with a blade. In fact, someone had. Blood seeped through the cuts in the rock, and slowly fell onto the ground.

Then the rock tomb exploded, revealing the creature standing there, not a mark on it. Wow, those regenerative abilities were impressive. I didn't know how Karell was going to kill this one. It would be interesting to see. Karell wasn't surprised, or if he was, he didn't show it. His rage hadn't been quenched, not yet. As long as this creature was alive, his rage couldn't be quenched. Karell, don't kill yourself. It would sadden me a little. After all, I would only be able to talk to Lufia and Prelait also possibly Hokara if she rejoins us; I need someone I can actually talk to. I swear I confide in you sometimes, you had better not die.

Karell ran forward, and the creature charged to meet him. Their blades met, and Karell quickly moved his to intercept the other blades. The creature was now swinging with all four blades, and Karell was moving so fast he parried every shot thrown at him. It was impressive, except that the creature kept pressing forward, and Karell was being forced backwards. As long as he was on the defensive, Karell was screwed. His major was offence, defense wasn't meant for him, he would grow tired very soon.

Karell broke away from the creature, and then put some distance between the two. He was panting now of course, holding his blade rather steadily. He seemed intent on something, concentrating again. Was he collecting even more of the earth element? Didn't he see that those moves wouldn't finish this creature? It could regenerate itself too quickly. Also, it seems to be a natural ability, making this thing almost impossible to kill.

Then Karell…smiled? No, he wasn't smiling, he was grinning now, a look of knowing on his face. Then he cut himself with his own katana, letting blood seep from his wounds. "I figured it out." He said, speaking to the creature more than anyone else. "I know how you heal yourself. Ingenious really. In fact, it is the last thing I expected, until I was able to think of it."

"Karell, how is he healing himself?" I asked him, curiosity overwhelming my senses.

"Well Naruto, you see," Karell said, pausing a little, probably adding to the dramatic effect. No matter hoe furious he was, he enjoyed to make things more dramatic than they needed to be. "He is stealing your own regenerative ability." Karell told me, before he suddenly bolted at me, his blade aiming straight for me.

Damn it, he has gone insane! How could that thing be taking my own ability without my knowing?! I couldn't think right now, I had to move. I rolled out of the way, a little slowly. I was an open target for Karell. Damn, this was going to hurt. I looked up, to see Karell running past me, still running where I was standing before. Why was he doing that? Then I saw, standing behind me, was Lufia. She didn't have time to react, as Karell picked up speed, and then slammed his blade into her, before ripping it out and slashing her countless times; I couldn't follow his blade at that speed. He stopped, his eyes cold fury, before Lufia exploded in a mass of blood, her arms and legs, along with her head separating from her body, which all fell into tiny strips of flesh. My knees grew weak, and buckled under me. Karell…just killed…Lufia…

General Badaxe- Well, sorry for the really late update. It took me a while to actually sit down and get this done. So, I apologize again. But hey, at least I updated right? Remember, this could have become one of those stories that never get updated as well. Anyways, do what you will now. I need to go look for errors in my second chapter. Also, would someone please tell me if I made a similar error in this one if I did? It would be most appreciated.


	10. Chapter 10

General Badaxe- **Megaolix**, nice thought. A clone of Lufia. As for him lacking emotion, he, above anyone else, knows how harsh the world can be. He is willing to help people, however, he won't shed a tear if they die. He will bring the killer to justice, however, how many of you, if I may ask, look in a paper and cry over the loss of someone you didn't know? I'm willing to bet not one of you do. So, why do you ask the same of Naruto? **XxExX**, I notice you say "So was that thing acting like it was Lufia, and doing something to Naruto while he was watching the fight in front of him?" I notice that you didn't even let it be mentioned that it might actually be Lufia. **The Fifth Rider of Armageddon**, Interesting name, not many people have a biblical name. Anyone who doesn't understand, if you want to, read the book of revelations in the hen you will understand. What is there to figure out? If you are trying to figure out what is, in Kakashi's own words, "Underneath the underneath" good luck with that. You will need it. **denzenB** Your suggestion with Hokara, trust me, I have already thought of that. As for what happens, I won't spoil anything. As for if Lufia was a fake or not, once again, read to find out. **Sleepyreader**, nice to see you are thinking, the black blood will remain a very important role in this story. Let us see how it evolves with the story, shall we? **EvilFang**, of course I love cliff hangers. How else am I supposed to get you people to come back begging for more? **Rasengan-up-your-ass**, maybe you need to re-read the story, I didn't give him the Sharingan. Also, I have thought about it, and thought about it and the applications, and I have come to the conclusion to not include Hinata in this fic. After all, this is to show how he would act around a bunch of people he hasn't known his entire life. It also keeps people from yelling at me on how I haven't portrayed a character correctly in a situation, because other people are apparently better at knowing how a certain character, Kiba for instance, would act in a given situation. In fact, I'm not sure I will have Naruto return to Konoha, but I will decide that bit if information at a later date. Also, when did Lufia get such a…powerful fan-base? I'm a little amazed at how many people have left messages praying that the "Lufia" that Karell killed was a fake. Also, I also had about three or four PM to my E-Mail not to kill her off. Maybe it is because you people want to see a relationship, or maybe it is some women who are happy to see a rather powerful female person among the group. Whatever the reason, you people must remember: I'm the one writing this fic. Try not to get too attached to a character. I love all of the characters I create, with all my soul. Even the monsters and villains, I don't create them to be a disgusting thing, symbolizing an obstacle the heroes must overcome, I also see them as my own children. I know that people die, and it is bound to happen to the family I love in real life. In fact, I put a little bit of a personality in everyone and everything I create. Even cities, towns, and who knows what else. I'm no fool, however. Death is a part of life, without death, what spurs us to do what we can with life? We want to be accomplished before I short life span is over, and as such, we strive to be better people. Even villains strive to be remembered, after all, the only people that truly die are the ones that are forgotten. As such, every time I kill a villain, monster, hero, I am effectively preparing myself for the death of a loved one, even if it is only little by little. I even kill myself in these things, trying to prepare myself for my own death. I know I will die, eventually. However, I plan to do something with my life, instead of just being another victim. Even if that difference is to a group of people I will never know, if I help just one person, I will be remembered. Well, now that that is over, let us see what happens, shall we?

I could only stare at the body, arms hacked off, legs cut into little thin slices of salami, and the torso sprinkled around the rest of the body like some sick seasoning, with the head, cut cleanly in two, standing upright with a giant gash down the center, a look of surprise and pain on the face. Red blood was surrounding the corpse, slowly sliding away from it as though it was also scared of the ghastly scene. Shock had rendered my body numb, making me drop to my knees. I could feel my mouth staying wide open, despite attempts to close it. I was quivering, my entire body was quivering. I was unable to tell if I was quivering because of shock or rage. My hands were clenched into fists; I couldn't do anything else with them. I couldn't flex the fingers; I couldn't move my thumb it was locked into a fist by some mystical force.

I regained a little strength, and I let instinct take over. I rushed at Karell, roaring at the top of my lungs, as I went to cut him down. Karell gave me an ice cold glare, a killer's glare. I stopped rushing at him, fear gripping my heart. Rage and fear took a hold of me, twisting my brain around their fingers, forcing me to serve them. I glared at Karell, at least, I was staring at him in anger, so I assume it was a glare. "Karell, Why did you kill her?!" I yelled at him, fury enveloping my voice.

"Isn't it obvious?" I heard a loud voice say, a voice I remember well. "He was doing his part as part for the race of humanity, killing that demon."

I. Was. Pissed. "Shut the Hell up!" I cried out, twisting my body violently, and launching a fireball at him. It traveled fast enough hat it was making a whistling sound, it bore all the fury I ha din myself at the moment. I saw the bald man get up rather quickly, and slash my fireball in half with his sword, before pointing his sword at me. I felt energy gather at the tip of the blade, and I saw a light explode from the tip. I jumped into the air, and forced myself to cover my face as the light burst into the ground, sending fragments of the ground up at me.

"Boy!" He cried at me, eyes glaring menacingly at me. "Don't test me. If I have to come down there, you know that we won't be living long, don't we?" He asked with fury etched into his voice.

Frankly, if he knew that attack, I doubt he was coming down here at all. And if that was only a warning shot…well, maybe I should bite my tongue a little. Oh screw it. "Burn in Hell old man! Come down here and I will personally bust your ass all the way across this field, do I make myself clear?!" I roared at him, filling my hand with a fireball.

I whipped my entire body around, and launched the fireball at the creature just staring at us. I'm guessing it took fencing lessons from that man up there, because it just slashed my fireball in half with a flick of the wrist, not even appearing to work hard to do it. It might be easy, but personally, I have never slashed a fireball with a sword, so what do I know?

"Naruto, calm down." Karell said, his voice one of control, despite being very pissed off a moment ago. "It won't do us any good to fight each other right now. Right now, we have to contend with this sucker." He told me, indicating the fleshy creature near us, still staring at us, that gaping mouth just hanging there. This creature was infuriating me, just looking at us, not even deeming us a threat, as though it already had this in the bag.

"Don't worry Naruto; I will explain why I had to kill our companion after this. You may not like me for it, but it was for the better, trust me on this." Karell said, in that calm voice of his. That voice drove me to the brink of anger, almost tipping me into madness. It wasn't because I thought he was lying, quite the opposite, it angered me because I believed he had a good reason for doing that despicable deed of his. I didn't want there to be a good reason, I just wanted something to take my anger out on. I guess that grotesque creature will have to do. I just wish that I had more than a single kunai for a weapon. Well, my fists should work nicely then.

Centering all of my anger into my chest, I let out a loud roar, and dashed after that soon to be carcass. It took a single slash at me, which I easily ducked under. However, I wasn't able to dodge the second blade, and the only thing that saved me was that I was hit with the flat part of the blade, and I was only sent sprawling along the ground. I jumped onto my feet, and shook my head. I was slightly dizzy, but it didn't last long. I heard the sound of metal clashing on a hard object, the creature must be engaging with Karell, only reason I can think of for the sound.

I heard the sound multiple times; I saw that Karell was on the offensive. I'll admit, that was a real good thing. Karell on defense means that there is a problem. Well, I wasn't staying out of the action. I put my hands to the ground, and focused some of the earth into my fingers. I forced enough dirt to completely coat the tips of my fingers, and then I lifted them and pointed them at the creature. Energy exploded inside of the clay, sending them forward like projectiles, at an incredibly fast pace. They smacked the creature in the back, and forced it to go off balance. Karell didn't miss this opportunity. He smashed the creature with his shoulder, and then kicked it slightly into the air. He then slid right under it, and twisted his body. He slashed upward, sending the creature into the air. Then he jumped after it. He kicked it even higher, then did a backwards flip and cut it even higher into the air. He then landed on the ground, and flipped backwards three times, while sheathing his sword in the middle of all that! He burst forward, running at the perfect pace to catch the creature as it was landing. He cut forward with such speed; I saw the wall on the other side receive a cut mark from the sonic boom!

Karell turned around, and looked at me while sheathing his sword. He walked over to me, and I looked over at the corpse of the creature. It was, pretty much, reduced to body parts. The arms were cut off, rolling a little on the ground. Whatever was on top of the neck, the head or the ass, it could pass for either, rolled to the gate it had come out of. The torso was cut into four clean parts, making it impossible to regenerate from that, it looked like each section contained a part of its heart. Blood was flowing along the ground, it was a strong stench, and it was blue. I thought it would be purple in all honesty, but I was wrong.

I heard a pair of hands clapping. I looked over, and saw the bald man clapping, and laughing as well. "Ladies and Gentlemen! Applause for our guests please! They were kind enough to take care of a demon for us! That is one less we have to kill! Now then, let us see how good they really are, what say you?!"

The crows exploded in life and color, in ways I didn't think possible! There was whistling, I even heard some catcalls from some women. It worried me a little; I pray they were looking at Karell. The only person I didn't see clapping, laughing, or cheering was Hokara. In fact, she looked a little sick at everything that was going on. I saw her eyeing Lufia's corpse as well, she tried to stop, but her eyes kept drifting back to it. If I didn't know better, I would say I saw a tear in her eye. However, if it was there, it disappeared in the next instant, so I was unable to verify this claim.

I didn't have time to think for very long, I heard the metal gates opening again; I'm guessing that another creature was coming through. I pulled out my only kunai, preparing myself for whatever would come through. I double checked my surroundings, the only things here beside Karell and myself would be Lufia's corpse, and that creature's corpse. Karell, if we lived through all of this, you and I are going to have a long talk with one another. I just hope I get an explanation out of all of this. I…felt some sort of signature coming through the door, and I felt it coming closer. There was only one reason I could feel it, Prelait must be slipping me a tiny bit of her own demonic chakra. I was grateful; it helped me with my perception, and gave me a sort of demonic radar. Who knows how or when something like that will come in handy in this place?

No time to think however, the other demon came through the door…it was…a little girl? I'll admit, I dropped my kunai in shock. The 'demon' that came out of the door was a petit thing. It stood, at full height, to about the center of my waist, and I wasn't a very tall person. She had on a pair of green pants, which were decorated with golden swirls. She was also wearing a bright yellow shirt, which had a red flame adorning the center of the shirt. She was carrying a scythe over her shoulder, which on a little girl, was extremely creepy. Her face appeared soft, as though it hadn't lost all of its baby fat yet. The nose was bent slightly to the right, as though it had been broken before. Her mouth was bent into a grimace, as though she has seen more than she wished to. Extremely short fangs could be seen protruding from her mouth, as though they themselves were shy to the world. Her hair was a slick purple color, put into two pony tails sliding to her shoulders. Her eyes…they were the most terrifying thing about her. One was as red as the blood in my own veins. The other was as black as the soul of the damned. Two different eye colors.

"Karell…" I said trailing his name off, looking at this…fragile looking creature. "You take this one; I don't think I could…bring myself to strike this one."

"Naruto, don't make me into such a twisted person!" He exclaimed, a little appalled at what I told him to do. "I can't bring myself to kill a child! What kind of person do you take me for?!" He was just a little offended by my comment.

"Sorry, but I don't want to hurt her. She looks so…innocent and fragile. I don't care if she is a demon or not, she is still a child." I told him, picking up the kunai I dropped, and tucking it into my clothes. I need to get a new kunai pouch. Just as well, my old one was starting to get a hole in it. However, we need to go bounty hunting; we need money as we are getting low on that precious item. "Karell, just what do we do in this situation?"

"I don't know. I'm reluctant to even consider drawing my blade. However, something tells me that this is going to be a lot different than we anticipate. I don't want to; however, if she attacks me, I will draw my blade on her, make no mistake about that. I still believe in self-defense." He told me, still looking at the small demon. I couldn't consider it glaring; he held no hostile intentions or promises in his gaze. "Damn it, I didn't expect a child to be the one to stop me in my tracks." He said, a little bitterly.

I could sympathize with him. Never once did I think a little girl would be the one to halt me in my tracks. Then, she…giggled? It was true, she was giggling now. One of her hands was over her mouth as well, and it looked rather cute. Her eyes were closed, sort of enjoying the mirth. I looked at Karell, and he was on edge. His hand was gripping the hilt of his katana, and I noticed that his left hand was holding his Wakizashi. He pulled that out? He was nervous all right. Then the little girl opened her eyes. My heart froze in fear, her eyes were of pure malice and hatred. It seemed like they were telling me that she would be the one to kill me, and honestly, I believed them! She said something to me, something that chilled me to the bone, especially because it was the voice of a little girl that said it to me: "If you want to get out alive, run for your life!" She said to us, pulling the scythe off of her back.

She held it so that it sat on her hands like a precious child, still grinning at us, like a twisted little ghost. She creped me out, making me clench my hands into fists, trying to reassure myself that I could fight this petit little creature. I'll admit, I was terrified of this little girl. It was the eyes. Having them look at me like I was nothing but some play toy made me nervous. "Fools." She said, her voice cracking the silence as sternly as a whip would have. I took a step back because of her voice, such terror it instilled in me, I couldn't believe it; nothing has terrified me nearly as much as this little girl has! "I offered you life, and you remain. If you would prefer death, I would gladly grant you this wish." She told us, hefting the scythe onto her shoulder. That thing was intimidating, from this little shadow of death.

"In case you haven't noticed, the door behind us is sealed, exactly how do you propose we run away?" I asked, and unfortunately, I heard my voice shaking slightly. It was easy to tell I was afraid.

Hearing the shaking in my voice, she giggled again. "Well, I suppose that does present a problem. I suppose I could let you go through the door behind me to safety." She said, standing aside, and pointing the scythe in the direction of the door she came out of.

"And head into an infestation of demons?!" I said, rather suddenly. "No thank you!"

Her eyes narrowed, both of them glaring at me. Who was this girl?! Those eyes were scaring me even more, as both of them appeared to pierce into my soul, wrenching any secret I had into the open, leaving me naked in the middle of this little coliseum. "And how did you know that there was a mass of demons inside of this structure?" She asked me, her voice icy cold, as though I had just embarrassed her in front of a crowd.

'Prelait? Isn't she able to sense you?' I asked her, feeling a little guarded now.

'No kit, she is too young. Radar doesn't come until, oh, I got mine when I was around…900? Or was it 1000 years old? Anyways, I don't think she is nearly that old. I estimate her to be about…oh 600 or 700 years old.' Prelait thought to me, in a very serious tone.

'Prelait, what's wrong? You sound rather serious. I don't like it, go back to being a joker about everything, please.' I said, sounding desperate in my mind as well. Why have I fallen apart from this little girl? Could it be the buildup? Lufia dying, trusting her killer, as well as the fear instilled in me by this terrifying little girl.

'I wish I could kit, but this is a serious situation. Tell me kit, just how many demons do you think you will have to kill in order to 'win' this little battle? I have a feeling that it is all of the demons inside of that door. Why are the people here not surprised by such monstrosities? Well, I don't really consider them monstrosities; I'm saying that because most humans would be fleeing for their life. These ones are too calm for me to understand. It's as if they knew about them, but why would they? They seem to be kept in secret? This is too confusing. Something deep is at work here, I know it. Kit, we need answers. We need them now. That bald man, I bet he is at the heart of this case. However, he is a warrior at heart, he didn't think of all of this on his own. There is someone else, someone who gave him instruction on how to do all of this. We need to find out who is the mastermind, then we can figure out who to pursue.'

'And just how are you planning to do all of that?' I asked her, letting the information seep into my mind. I hate it when there is more below the surface; however, life is always like that, there is always a deeper meaning to everything. Figuring out that meaning is one of the challenges. 'We have to go to the source, don't we?' I asked her, letting calm emotions start to flows through my body, thicker than the blood in my veins. I didn't feel scared anymore, I felt at peace with where I was.

'You would be correct kit. And do you know where we will probably find the source of this mayhem?' She asked me, as though I should be able to figure out the answer myself. I had a pretty good hunch where the answers would be.

'Knowledge is a powerful tool. So powerful that it can destroy people, save people, and in some cases, decide between life and death. As such, some knowledge is under lock and key.' I thought to Prelait, feeling a sort of warmth wash over me. I could feel the demonic energy from Prelait sending itself through my body. It was a comforting feeling, as though being embraced by someone who loved me. It was comforting, and it erased all fear in my mind, doubt was being disintegrated piece by piece, and worry was thrown out. Why was I afraid? If worse came to worse, I still have the powers of a demon to call upon. 'The answer is behind the doors over there, where the demons are coming out of.' I thought to Prelait.

I felt something strange, like a kiss at my cheek, but there was nothing there. 'Good job kit.' She said to me, and I was a little embarrassed from her complimenting me. 'Now that you know where to attain the knowledge, what are you going to do? Some people would go look for it; others would turn away, telling themselves that 'ignorance is bliss' and forgetting it existed. What say you kit?' She asked me, expecting an answer.

'We are able to think for a reason. It is so that we can attain even more knowledge, so that we are able to think for ourselves. Only fools live in ignorance, using it as a shield from the rest of the world. I'm going to find out the answer to all of this. We need to go through that door.' I told her, feeling my confidence rise.

"On second thought, I think that I will take your offer, and go through that door." I said to the little girl, is an extremely confident voice. No fear, nothing to slow me down. I was just going to get through this entire adventure; I was going to see the end. "Now then, if you will please excuse me." I said, bowing at the little girl.

I stood upright, and started to walk to the door. She stood there, looking at me, a look of puzzlement on her face. "Why? Why do you choose to go through a door you know to be full of demons? Are you crazy?" She asked me, wonder filling her voice. I looked over, and I noticed that her head was tilted to the side slightly, in puzzlement.

"Simple." I told her, looking her directly in the eyes. "I want answers, and that is the only place to get them. So, I must risk losing my life for knowledge. If it must be so, then it will be so." I told her, resuming my trek to the door. I felt something weird, it felt a little like all the air was sucked out of the stadium; I know it got harder for me to breathe. I looked over, and the scythe was glowing. Hatred was etched into her eyes, I have no idea why.

"I want you to die!" She yelled out, swinging her scythe at me, and I saw the ground itself rip apart, and I saw a glowing blade get flung at me. I looked around, and the sides of the walls of this coliseum were getting cut as well! The force of that move must be intense; I could feel it start to push me back. I had to brace myself against the ground, to keep from flying from the pressure of the move, let alone dodging the blade! Damn…

I heard the sound of metal clashing on metal, and I looked up. I must have instinctively looked down. Karell was standing above me, his blades crossed, holding that glowing blade at bay. I looked around, and I saw that the kunai I had dropped was shredded. I must have been pushed back a little ways, but if that was the case, why wasn't the kunai pushed back? I had no time to think, as I felt the air get sucked in again. "I want all of you to just die!" She yelled again, swinging that scythe of hers.

I got up, and ran to the wall, and I noticed that Karell got away. I ran up the wall, high up it, and then I flipped backwards, and I saw the glowing blade smash into the wall, only a couple rock fragments hit me, and they didn't do any damage. So, it only has the damage in a straight line? That or it was meant to hit below it as well, it would explain why the kunai was annihilated. I had to stop that scythe; it was the only way to win this fight! However, hoe was I supposed to get to her?

She hefted the scythe, and this time, I felt it get hot, really hot. Then she slammed her scythe into the ground, and I saw a pillar of fire heading in my direction. I ran to the side, easily evading the pillar. I looked at the girl, and she was in my face, along with that scythe. "I want you to suffer!" She hollered at me, taking a giant swing, encircling everywhere I had to run. I jumped into the air, and managed to pull myself above the scythe.

I landed, and grabbed her by the front of her shirt with my left hand, and pulled back my right fist, ready to strike her all the way back to Hell! Then I saw that she was looking at me, with such…innocent eyes. I couldn't follow through with the strike; I couldn't strike her while she looked like that. I loosened my grip on her shirt, and then I saw her smile in gratitude at me. it made me feel a little foolish in all honesty. I smiled back at her, and then she twisted her smile into a smirk. I shoved us away, as a pillar of fire enveloped her, surrounding her with such a heat that I was forced to cover my face the heat was so intense!

Then I saw the flames transform into a giant ball into the sky, it was big all right. She was looking at Karell. She threw her arms down, and the Ball smashed into where it looked like Karell was. I was amazed; I didn't think something that big could travel so fast! Ok, I needed help, and badly! I felt my chakra disappear quickly, as I formed a bunch of shadow clones to help me in my endeavor. Hopefully, this will even out the odds. We formed a crescent around this little girl, all of us in a different defensive position. I would go about naming them, but that would take too long for me to think, and I needed to focus on this little girl. She seemed to regain her composure, as she just looked around, an impassive look on her face, as her eyes bore into every one of us. As her eyes passed me over, I felt my pulse quicken in fear. Why was I so afraid?! It was annoying me, what, does she inspire fear in everyone she meets or something?! Whatever it was doing, I could feel the effect thundering through my body, making me quiver slightly.

I didn't know what to do, a child so small, even though she was trying to kill me, I couldn't bring myself to try to kill her. The little girl…who was she? To inspire such fear in me…I don't think it is her presence, could it be a type of aura about her? Something emanating from her, causing me to fear her? I would have to ask her, but I doubt she will give me the answer. However, as I saw from her display of power, she wasn't someone to be trifled with. No, I would have to take this battle seriously in order to survive it. However, I don't want to use demonic energy, not yet. I want to save that for a special occasion.

"Ok brat, someone is paying now!" I heard someone holler, Karell to be specific. Saw him on the opposite side of the girl, his face a mask of stone, his eyes glaring now. He was ready to kill. I saw that his clothes were slightly singed; however, he appeared to be fine. I was happy to see a familiar face, I didn't know if he was consumed by that ball of fire. However, I still had to talk to him about…well; I would worry about it later. "You know, I'm burning on the inside now." Karell told her, his voice a calm storm. You couldn't hear the storm; however, I couldn't mistake it for what it was. It was going to become a powerful storm. "My pride in this blade has been shattered by you. You came closer to killing me than anyone else has ever had the privilege to say. The scars on my body are nothing; I just misjudged the length of a blade. However, never have I come so close to losing a battle of speed. My pride in my legs is destroyed. And finally, my pride in judging an opponent is destroyed. You…you will die." He said, putting his Wakizashi away, and only holding out his katana.

Karell bolted forward, becoming hard to see, barely seeing any movement, I saw the ground erupt in a cloud of dust, it was getting so intense it was hard to see. The girl hefted her scythe, and then twisted her entire body, and smashed her scythe into the ground. The ground started to…fragment is the only word I can think of to describe it. Small fissures started opening up all around her, and then the ground started to shift, stalagmites bursting through the ground at diagonal angles, the Earth coming alive, and twisting itself to the dominion of this small child. However, anyone could see the purpose of this rock formation. The rocks were made in a way that no one could maintain a high speed and not break their neck. Unfortunately, she was standing high up, on top of one of the pillars. She could gaze all around the field; no one could escape those little eyes of her. I saw people in the crowd shivering. It didn't engulf the entire field, this rock formation. It only covered the center, and a radius of about one hundred yards outward. However, in order to get to her, you had to scale that rock formation. And it was a very intimidating rock formation.

I saw Karell scaling the formation, however, not once did he use his hands. He ran straight up, as though he was using chakra, however, I couldn't sense any being used. He jumped form rock to rock, and the little girl was focused on him. It was easy to tell he had slowed down: you could see him. He was, however, climbing the rock at an alarming pace, even for the little girl, she must be a little surprised. However, if she was, she wouldn't let it show on her face. She pulled her scythe back, and I felt air leave me. Karell must have felt the same, because suddenly, he looked directly at her, never taking his eyes off, his face a mask of fury. I saw blood dripping down the sides of his teeth, dropping into a dark chasm formed by this technique. Was that Karell's fate? To be buried under rock and stone? The very element he was most at home with?

Then I saw something strange…Karell seemed to split into three different versions of himself. Then she cast the scythe downward, a judge casting judgment on a murderer. The scythe blew the rocks apart, smashing into the are Karell was last seen, the energy blasting into the chasm, and causing an explosion of rocks to reveal themselves, as though dynamite had been planted, and was now set off. Four of my clones started to climb up the wall, and I wasn't about to let them do it in the same situation I had given to Karell. I was foolish not to aid him in any way, but I won't make that mistake again, not again.

I formed a fireball in each of my hands, and whipped them at the little girl. I saw a chorus of fireballs after me, my other clones catching on. It was a wave of fire launched at her, intending to consume her. However, they didn't follow orders. They stopped about twenty feet away from her, and I saw that she was holding her scythe, as though she was fending off an arrow volley. Then she pointed finger at the bunch of us down here. The fireballs didn't halt, they whipped at us. I formed an earth shield, and I heard a couple poofs, however, not enough to get rid of all of my clones. My shield melded back into the Earth, as though it had never existed.

I looked around, and saw that my number had been cut in half. I wasn't trying that stunt again. Well, I had only one choice, and that was to follow my clones up after her. I ran to the base of the rock, and started to climb. I was as quick as I could be, but not quick enough. I was like a duck, just swimming lazily through a stream I knew to be littered with hunters. I felt a little stupid. I kept climbing and I heard the occasional sound of one of my clones going back into nonexistence. I looked around, and saw the other clones traveling after me. I guess the best way to lead was by example after all. This brought me strength, and I noticed that I climbed a little faster.

I was amazed that she hadn't taken a shot at me, and I also notice that I no longer heard the sound of clones disappearing. This puzzled me, and I looked around. She had jumped down, onto a small rock opening, a little like an arena. She stood in the center, her scythe hefted. I slowly climbed onto it, watching her every move. I noticed my other clones did the same thing. She was smiling, an evil smile. "I have only proven I am better at far range to you. Standing on that little pillar just emphasized that. I want to see if I can take you on in close quarters. So please, come at me when you will." She said, bowing her head slightly, her confident grin never leaving her face.

I charged forward, Along with my other clones. She was closer to the clones behind her back, they would striker her first. However, how successful will we be? She seemed rather confident in her ability to fend me off at close quarters, and I had a feeling I was about to experience exactly what she said. She whipped around, bringing her scythe with an alarming speed into a clones head, and then whipped her body around, slashing downward into the skull of another clone. Four of them charged at once, and the turned her body into a full three hundred and sixty degree turn, cutting all of them down at once, and then I felt air leave me, as she cast her scythe downward, destroying another group of clones. She pulled something from inside of her shirt, and then threw something at me, and I looked down, as searing pain engulfed me, as needles protruded from my stomach. I ripped them out, to see little droplets of blood travel down my shirt.

"I found you!" She cried, bolting forwards, and hacking apart with such brutality as I have never witnessed before, any clone that tried to get in her way. I took a step backwards as she was on top of me, bringing her scythe downward. I lifted my hands in a defense, a weak one considering it was a scythe bearing down on me, but I had no choice. I don't know how I was going to live through this one. I shut my eyes, and looked away, as though that it would stop the scythe, by me not imagining it was there.

I heard the sound of metal breaking, the unmistakable sound of it shattering into thousands of pieces. I felt blood splash onto my arms, it was warm and sticky. It wasn't my blood. I looked up; I must have crouched, hoping to make my head a small target. I don't remember doing this, but it must have happened. I saw a giant blade, protruding from the back of a short, red sleeved shirt, verging on pink. Reddish-Brown hair was parted by that blade. I saw a katana blade cut in two, by his feet. "Karell!" I heard myself scream it out loud, as well as someone else. I saw Hokara, standing up, her face a mask of horror.

I saw the blade get ripped from his chest, and I heard the sound of tearing flesh, as it left him. He fell backwards, it would have been rude to drop him, and so I caught him, and looked down at him. "Heh. Looks like I finally met my match." He said, laughing a little, only to go into a fit of coughing, blood blasting from his mouth onto his clothes.

"Karell…Why?" I asked him, unable to ask an intelligent question. I was still trying to deny this, even though I had his blood on me. I also saw it pooling around us, as he was losing it fast.

"Why?" He asked me, laughing a little more, before hacking up more of life's gift to him. "Simple. You are younger than me. I have experienced more than you, and thought you deserved a fair shot as well. You know, I didn't expect to be…this painful." He said, laughing a small laugh, before I saw him vomit blood up.

"Karell come on, quit this sick joke." I told him, forcing a painful smile on my face. "We still have adventure to find, don't we? Wasn't that the reason you joined me, to have an adventure? Come on, we still have a lot more to do." I said, my smile trying to grow brighter.

"Naruto…Kind of…you to…include me." He, his breath coming in slow gasps. Talking was getting harder, and more energy consuming for him. "However…I am finished. I have lived…through much…however…a blade…through…my…body? I'm…not…that…good." He said. Forcing more blood onto himself, trying to clear his lungs. "It…was fun…while…it lasted…" He said, closing his eyes.

"Come on Karell, don't fall asleep. We still have a few bounties to hunt, women to save, at boast at taverns." I told him, shaking him a little.

Karell laughed out loud, a long joyous laugh. "What is so funny?" I asked him, trying to think about what I said.

"Sorry…" He said, opening his eyes a crack. "I…was imagining…you….boasting…at a…tavern…with a…couple…wench's…on…your…lap…" He said, until his eyes closed completely. I doubted that they would be opening again. His hand went limp, and I saw his Wakizashi clatter onto the rock. The blade was pointing at his heart. Then the blade cracked, and shattered onto the ground. I picked up the hilt, and felt a tear sliding down the side of my cheek. I looked at Hokara, and saw tears streaking down her cheek as well. We weren't best friends…well…I suppose I would count that as a lie. He gave his life for mine. I won't waste it. At the very least, he is an honored friend, if not my best friend. His blades were shattered; I couldn't put them on top of his grave. However, what else did he prize as much as his blades? His legs, but I wasn't about to put that on top of a gravestone.

"Well, touching moment and all, but you will be joining him soon, so don't feel too bad." I heard the little girl say to me. My sadness was replaced. It was so abrupt, that I don't exactly remember being sad. Rage. Rage. Rage. This was coursing through me. I never knew such rage, an ever consuming blaze, feasting on all of my anger and sorrow. The pain I was feeling right now, I wanted revenge. I wanted this bitch to suffer as Karell had suffered. I stood up, dropping Karell's body. I couldn't think of it as a corpse. Corpses never live on; however, Karell would live on. In my memories, if nothing more. I was covered in Karell's blood. The only thing that hadn't been drenched was my head, and upper torso. Everything else was dripping blood, even my hand. I wiped the blood off my hands across my mouth, a little falling into my mouth, as the metallic taste brought even more rage to me. It was Karell's blood. Not some random person's blood. Karell's. Rage. Rage. Rage. These thoughts beat through my skull, as though at the whim of some hidden drum, pulsing strongly, growing faint, and then bursting forward again.

I couldn't hold it to my thoughts, I couldn't. The blood rage I was in wouldn't let me. I must have looked like a lunatic. I know it. "Prelait! Give me your power!" I screamed, at the top of my lungs, letting everyone in the stands know. I felt it well up inside of me, threatening to break through my fragile skin. I felt it burst upon me…I didn't even know how much, I didn't care. I was killing this bitch; she would suffer even more than Karell, if I had my way. Red chakra erupted form the rocks around us, centering themselves all on me, I felt the power roaring through my body. The rocks were breaking apart, falling into their old slumber, before this…demon interrupted them.

"Who…Who are you?" The little girl asked me, taking a step backwards. The rock arena under us suddenly shattered apart, crumbling under the weight of the chakra infusing with me. I looked at her, this demon. "A better question!" She said suddenly, putting her scythe into a defensive position. "What are you?!" She cried out, in fear and rage.

I didn't tell her. There was no point. **"There is no need for you to know." **I told her, preparing myself to rush at her. **"Somebody needs a spanking!" **I howled out rushing forward, at such a blinding speed; I didn't think it could be my own. I smashed my fist into the ground where she stood, but she managed to get out of the way. I ripped my hand up, bringing with me a giant rock, which I threw ate her. She slashed it in half with her scythe, but I had expected that. The rock split in two, and I was on top of her, my fist pulled back. She was looking at me, with such cute puppy dog eyes. It had worked before. Before she had murdered Karell. Rage. Rage. Rage. I smashed my fist into her tiny frame, as she was sent backwards, flying at a pace I thought that the force alone would kill her. Her body smashed into the wall, leaving a deep imprint. As though she had made a rock angel.

I formed a giant fireball in my hands, big enough to engulf my entire body if I mishandled it. The ball itself was seething. Fire was rolling across of the ball, as though it was made of a liquid. This was liquid fire, the only fire hotter than it was that of a white flame. The heat made the oils on my skin dry, causing my skin to crack and bleed, especially at my hands. Blood was hardening on my skin, and it was even beginning ti turn into a gas, a red vapor slowly freeing itself from my own body. I looked at it, it was majestic in its own deadly presence. Then I threw it at the little demon child, watching as the ground itself melted a little as the fire ball passed over it. I saw everyone in the crowd sweating profusely, and not from excitement, all of them shielding themselves with their hands from the extreme heat.

I never blinked, I didn't look away. I wanted to see her burn in the fires of Hell. My burns were already healed. I wasn't surprised, considering when I looked back, I had two tails. My power was much greater than when I had it shut behind the doors, it was intoxicating. I suppose that is why I fear it; I don't want to rely on it. I saw the fireball engulf the little girl, however, I was surprised that I didn't hear her scream out in terror or pain. What's wrong here? Most people would be scared if a giant ball of liquid fire was about to burn them to cinders and ashes.

I looked at the walls; they were black, and partially melted. The ground was nothing but a small cave in, and pools of lava were formed in them, the rock itself had melted. I saw in the coat of ashes, to the side of the small cave in, was a scythe. I didn't see anything else, just the scythe. I was amazed even that survived. However, I never saw the little girl cast the scythe away. I was also wondering a bit, never once did I see the scythe leave the girl, as though it was a part of her. This puzzled me greatly. However, I had a more pressing matter.

I walked away, and arrived at Karell's body. I looked at it, and blood all around it. Hard to believe, he was rally gone. There was just something…I couldn't describe, as though you expected him to wake you up every day, if only to tackle a day you know you will hate. He would always encourage, poke bits of fun. He was the most mature, I realize. He only acted like a child because he was mature. He understood, better than I did, that life is only lived once, and you should have the most fun you can while you are alive. That was why he acted extremely immature, children do have the most fun after all. I guess…I never understood you very well, did I?

'Kit, as thoughtful as this is. You know, there is a chance you can save him.' Prelait thought to me. Well, needless to say, I jumped on this.

'Well?! How do I save him?!" I asked her, in a hurried rush. I don't really care if I was being rude.

'Well kit, I kind of have to leave your body, and go to his. I will mend the body, as long as he isn't cold, the soul won't leave his body. However, even if I repair his body, there is no guarantee that he will come back to life. It is his choice, and you must respect that. I will repair his bones, his flesh, and his organs, but it will be will that determines if he lives.' Prelait said. 'However, you have to remain conscious when I leave, I can't have anything happen to you, or else…' She let it trail off a sad sound in her voice, and curiosity took the better of me.

'Or else what?' I asked her, wondering what it could be.

'Well kit, you die, then I have to find another form of entertainment. Also, you don't charge me rent for living here, and I get free food. So, try not to die ok? I would hate to actually have to get a job.' She thought to me, in a rather cheery voice.

I'm willing to bet that she was part of the reason I ate so much, I have to feed two people here. 'Well…I suppose I will try not to die, even though I was looking forward to it.' I thought to her, sarcastically.

'Nice. Give me the brunt of your tongue when I am going to help your friend. Thanks a lot.' She said, in a rather lame voice. 'Well, I'll be going now. Try to hold it together, alright? We don't need you to appear weak right now.'

I felt the energy gather around me, and I felt her slipping away. I saw her shoot away, and land in Karell's body. Emptiness filled me, and it was all I could do to keep from crying out. I wanted to slump over, I wanted to fill myself with something. However, I couldn't let it get to me. I felt my strength diminish to nothing, at least, nothing compared to the power that had flowed through my body a little bit ago. Ok, I can do this. Don't worry about the void in your soul right now, worry about keeping a good image until Prelait is done, and returns to you.

I stood tall, trying to keep my face from showing the pain I was feeling. I heard a strange sound then…as though something had exploded. I looked at the direction of the sound, it had emanated from the scythe. I looked over, and saw the scythe…transforming. It started to grow something, and then it came to me, it was forming into the little girl. She looked unscathed, holding that scythe, she looked me over. "Where?" She asked me, still glaring at me.

"Where?" I asked her, trying to make sense of that one word sentence. I couldn't come up with anything. "Where is what?" I asked her, getting into a defensive position. I felt a little sluggish for some reason.

"Where did your power go?" She asked me, a cold voice emanating from that vessel. She sounded…different. Older…more mature. I don't know why I thought this, but it was unmistakable in my feelings, I felt that she was stronger than when we had fought each other a little bit ago. "You…you're hiding it from me." She said, her voice growing colder, as though I was hiding her favorite possession from her.

"Look, I don't know what your problem is, but I'm not exactly hiding anything from you right now." I told her, searching around for anything I could use as a weapon. So far, the only thing that looks like it might be passable for a weapon was a couple rock shards. Frankly, against her scythe, things weren't looking too good for me. Let me see, weaponless, friendless, and demonless. Ah crap.

"Liar!" She shouted at me, pointing her scythe in my direction, her eyes growing darker. The black one becoming a void to the light, her red one going crimson. Fear constricted me, making me freeze where I stood. I don't know what I was going to do now, I felt a little…strange…as well. I don't know how to describe it; I felt I could…be faster than I was being. I didn't understand this feeling; I know that right now, I was as fast as my body could take me, at least, at the observing level. "You are hiding it from me! That power! Why do you refuse to show it to me?! Am I too weak?! Is that what you are telling me?!" She screamed, in her little voice.

"No no no!" I yelled at her, putting my hands up, as though to catch any sense that she threw at me. "Well, it is complicated. However, I am only able to call upon that power for a short while, see?" I asked her, feeling sweat drip down my face. "I would be a little too powerful if I could just use it whenever I want, right?" I asked her, trying to put reason into my voice. "As such, I am only able to use it in dire need. So, I won't be able to use it, see?"

"I see. So, I am too weak. Or else, this would be considered a dire situation. I'm not weak." She told me, hanging her head, her scythe starting to quiver. Her entire body began to quiver as well. "I'm not weak. I'm not weak." She began to say, as though to encourage herself that it was the truth. "I'm not weak, damn it!" She hollered, thrusting her head upwards, while simultaneously throwing her scythe into the sky. I saw tears in her eyes, as she glared at me. Tears of rage.

A light broke through the surface of the sky, shining down on the little girl. I looked up, to see the scythe illuminating the girl, it a light flowing from it. Also, the scythe appeared to be…disintegrating, as though the light itself was eating it alive. Then, the light turned black as pitch, and descended onto the little girl, completely enveloping her, to the point where I was unable to see her. The blackness just swarmed into the ground suddenly, surrounding where the girl was, and then slowly, it seemed to be sucked into one spot: where the little girl was standing. Then I saw it disappear, so suddenly, I thought maybe I blinked and had missed something. There was no longer a little girl there.

She had the quickest maturation I have ever seen in my life. She stood at a good five and a half feet tall, in fact, she looked older than I did. Her purple hair was no longer braided; instead, it hung loosely to her shoulders, covering her black eye. I was pleased with that, her black one was the creepy one. Her outfit no longer hung loosely around her; in fact, it has become as black as the shadow that had consumed her. It clung to her tightly, as though holding a long lost lover. I found this odd, I never could think of clothes with emotions, but it is the only way I can describe this. Her stomach wasn't concealed; in fact, it seemed the outfit emphasized it. She now had a tail as well, completely black, and it looked well muscled. She also had a pair of wings, black, and they were covered in feathers. She was attractive like this, very attractive. Never mind her red eye, along with the hair covering her other eye, it gave an aura or mystery about her. I should also mention, she now had claws. Claws that looked like they could shred me to bits. In fact, she was flexing them, while looking at me. "I'm not weak." She said, he voice deeper and more feminine now.

Well, she didn't look weak at all, I was going to give her that much. In fact, she looks a lot stronger than she did when I was fighting her. A lot stronger. Things were not looking good. At all. I formed an fireball in my right hand, and a little shield made of earth in my left. "I'm not weak!" She yelled at me, rushing forward, her claws looking sharper than they did a couple minutes ago. I threw my fireball at her, watching as her tail came around and whipped it away from her. Memo to self, need a better move than that fireball. Swords and the like seem to render it ineffective. I threw up my shield, as her claw came bearing down. It smashed into my shield, making my arm feel numb, but her claw got stuck inside of it as well.

Her other claw ripped up, however, and cut my shield of stone in half. I jumped backwards, as she rushed forward, her claws catching on fire as they came toward me! I flipped onto my hands, as she took a swing at me, then I flipped onto my feet, as she took another wide slash at me. I formed a spear of ice, and took a quick jab at her with it, but she just caught it, and intensified the flames, so that the spear I was holding melted. Her tail whipped around her body, catching me at the throat, twisting itself around my neck, and pulling tightly. Instinct made me grab her tail, as thought that would make it loosen her grip. I felt myself lifted into the air, my feet no longer touching the ground. I heard a peculiar sound at that point, the sound of something big and heavy smashing into a door. Specifically, the door I and the rest of my group had come out of.

"Tell e, is this situation dire enough for you?!" This demon asked me, her tail starting to constrict my neck a little tighter. "Or do I have to up it a little bit?!" She asked, as her tail whipped upwards, and threw me into the air. Her wings spread out, and I'll admit, the wings looked beautiful. Then she took up after me, and I was envious of her ability to fly. It looked like something fun to do in your free time.

I heard the sound of something heavy hitting the door again, and I was wondering what on Earth could be making that noise. What was strong enough to shatter through solid steel? I could, but only when calling upon the demonic energy inside of me. Well, inside of Karell actually. Maybe that was why I felt sluggish; I didn't exactly travel at the same speed I was when I was calling upon Prelait's power.

However, the demon I was facing caught up to me, and her tail constricted itself around my neck. Then I was wrenched to a still, as she slowly flapped her wings to keep the altitude. "Is this 'dire' enough for you?!" She yelled at me, her claws flexing. I heard something hit the metal door again, except this time; I also heard one of the hinges groan in agony as well. What could be making that noise? Whatever it was, it was starting to touch a nerve. Oh yeah, for the record, this situation was 'dire enough' for me. I felt her tail flex, and suddenly, I was thrown at the ground, at such a speed, I could feel my body starting to stretch! This was going to hurt, especially without Prelait's healing powers.

I heard the two metal doors smash open, and I know someone or something entered the room. I looked over, and saw a blur heading straight for me, unfortunate, the speed was playing tricks on my eyes, because I couldn't distinguish one color from another, they were blurred together like some canvas of a sundown thrown onto one with a sunset. It looked really cool, except that I was hitting the ground at a speed that would probably kill me.

I stopped suddenly, and I realize that someone had caught me. I closed my eyes, and shook my head, to gain back my proper eyesight again. I looked up, and looking at me, was a pair of crimson eyes. I looked up and down…wondering if my eyes were still playing tricks on me. Lufia was holding onto me, but how was that possible? I looked over, and saw her corpse a little over by the door. I looked up again, and she looked a little confused. However, that didn't stop her form greeting me with a cheery voice. "Good evening Master! How are you this fine day?"

General Badaxe- Well, this chapter is complete. Wow, never thought I would get around to updating with everything I am doing, but I managed to scrape some time out. Well, I was planning on killing Lufia, but due to popular demand, I'll keep her for at least a little while. As for Karell, he is up in the air right now. Well, I'll also explain my decision about Hinata, I figure, I'll make a story with mostly OC's, and so, I don't think I will include any original, excluding Naruto. So, I'll keep it that way. And before anyone tells me this is a filler…sorry that I enjoy detail. In all honesty, I was going to have them fight about two or three more demons, but I know I'll have people complaining at that point. So, I'll limit it. You'll find out more in a couple chapters. Until then, good day. Also, I wanted to make this a more…serious chapter, considering everything that has happened. However, no matter how I try, I am unable to keep from laughing every time I re-read the part where Naruto is in demon form, and having him howl out 'somebody needs a spanking' I can't keep from laughing. Am I the only one who had this problem? Also, could anyone point out any problems they had while reading this, so that I can fix it please?


	11. Chapter 11

General Badaxe- I'm updating even sooner than I expected. I expected to wait a couple weeks; I mean more than two by the way. Three or four was what I was thinking. As long as I don't get writers block, I should be able to have this one out by at the latest, Monday. No guarantees on that though. Let us start by answering questions and such then. **The Great Rick,** Well, you know that romance isn't just defined to love interests and scenes right? Look up the meaning in a dictionary at some time, and you will see that this story can be indeed classified into romance. Not to mention, just because I don't spell it out for the open, doesn't mean anyone is unable to see love interests brewing. However, heaven forbid that people actually have to think about this, instead of having it spelled out for them. Also, it is my experience that jumping straight into a romance you get, instead of waiting to see how people react to such and such, usually leads to a relationship souring pretty quickly. **Blue Rover,** could you do me a favor and double check which chapter is was, and a general area the mistake was in? I scoured the chapter you told me, and couldn't find any mistake like that. So, please help me here, I would like to correct a mistake like that. **Tortued Soul,** I like detail in a story. Hence why I find it really hard to read fan fictions these days, no one else seems to appreciate the detail I crave. **Ero-kun,** I must say, your review actually made me blush when I read it. It wasn't the praise you are thinking that made me blush. You see, the fact you called one of my creations 'perfect' made me blush. As for people who haven't discovered my story, I don't expect many people to actually appreciate it. You see, I am not following a generic plot so many other writers have used, so people find it a little hard to understand. And trust me, it will be very long, I'm guessing at least 200k more words at the least, trust me; I'm putting this story through the works. **Reviewer,** Well, that's an original name right there. Anyways, sarcasm aside, the situation with Karell, you really want him to live? I agree he cheers everyone up, and he is nice comic relief. As for what is wrong with Blue/Hokara, it might take me a couple chapters, but I will get to it eventually, however, real quick, they have to get through this nice little arena. **The Fifth Rider of Armageddon, **I will concede to you the point that Kyuubi is not an OC I created. So, if you want to get extremely technical, there are two of them in my story. But, I consider Naruto and Kyuubi to be the same character, but, I will think of it as two for your benefit. And it looks like a couple people want me to make Hinata a regular character. People really know how to complicate my life, don't they? Sadly, I can't please everyone. Some people want me to include her, others don't. Guess I have to re-decide to include her, I guess. Give me two more chapters then, and then you will have a definitive answers, no altering it then. Also, even if I include her, it doesn't mean I am making this fic a harem! Never did I say it was a harem, and I don't know it if will be one, so quit calling it one! Well, I believe that that covers all the reviews that need answers. So, let us get on with the story, another at least 10k chapter is on its way.

I know I was staring. I know people tell me it is rude. However, excuse me this one time, because in all honesty, I'm a bit shocked right now. "I thought you were dead…" I said, my voice itself sounding amazed.

"Dead?" She asked me, and then looked over to where I looked periodically. "Oh. I see. So that is where the bastard went!" She yelled out indignantly, her hair starting to bristle in anger.

"Bastard? Exactly who is that?" I asked her, confused at the moment at what was going on. The only conclusion I could make was that the corpse over there is not really Lufia.

"Well master, you see, I was going along that Hallway with Dagnarus." She said to me, letting me down, allowing me to strand on my own. Then, she paused a bit, and then asked "Say, where is that midget?"

"Well, he was kind of killed by some demonic creature we were facing." I told her, rubbing the back of my head as though I could have prevented it and chose not too. I don't know why I felt a little guilty about that.

"Was he really?!" She asked me, appearing very shocked. I nodded my head in confirmation of the fact. Then she looked incredulously at me, and then shrugged his shoulders. "Well, it sucks to be him. Anyways, I was running down the hallway, and then we found a split in the corridors. We split up, and went our separate ways for a bit. I ended up killing two people who got in my way, and then I killed some sort of mutant dog or whatever the Hell it was. Then, I walked into a room, and found a black cylinder. I made a mistake, apparently touching it out of curiosity is a mistake, and then I got sucked into the black cylinder. It was cramped in there!" She said, stretching out as though to emphasize she was glad to be free. I wish she wouldn't shove her chest forward; I couldn't help but stare at her breasts as she thrust them out. I was happy that she closed her eyes and couldn't see me.

When she stood straight again, I looked away, my face a little heated. She opened her eyes, and then resumed her story. "You see, I was trapped in that thing, whatever it was, and couldn't even budge. In fact, only a little bit ago did I get free, and I only broke free because it just…cracked suddenly, and then exploded. I tumbled out, and ran all through those corridors trying to find my way through. In fact, the only reason I found you was because you unleashed your demonic powers. Then, I ran in this direction, smashed that door over there," She said, pointing to the doors knocked to the ground. "And caught you. I just want to know two things: One, are you positive we have never met before? I know I have felt that demonic signature somewhere before. In fact, I feel pretty stupid for not remembering where it comes from."

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure we have never met before." I told her, thinking about that dream I had. I don't think I can alter the past through my dreams. Then again, I haven't figured out why I was having those dreams in the first place. In fact, I was having those dreams of people I know. Only people I know. Do they all have something in common? No, not that I can think of. Did I do anything to them? Well, I did fight with every one of them at least once, maybe that has something t do with it? Oh well, nothing to think about when I have to fight other creatures. "Anyways, what is your second question?" I asked her, looking at the new foe before us. She looked like she was getting impatient.

"Second question." She said, sounding a bit disappointed we had never met before that entire event in the forest. "Where is Karell? And Blue for that matter. Those two seem to have disappeared on us."

"Well, they haven't exactly disappeared." I said to her, sounding a little bit in less spirits than I was before. "You see, Karell is laying over there, dying." I said pointing to his form. "Right now, I'm using my demonic energy to see if I can heal him. However, I don't know if he will survive. As for Blue…" I said, letting it trail off. I looked up at her. "She is up there. I don't know why, but she is dressed up like royalty, and frankly, she has been watching us this entire time. She hasn't assisted us at all. I have no idea what is going on in her mind, but it isn't doing us any good."

Lufia looked up at her, and did a double take. "Wait, she is the woman sitting in the chair, right?"

"No, she is the demon in front of us." I said to Lufia sarcastically. "Of course it is her.

"No need to take pot shots at me! I'm just thinking she looks really beautiful in those clothes. However, I still prefer her other outfit. That outfit is rather cute." She said, with a grin on her face. "However, I doubt she wants to be up there, but rather has to be."

"Care to explain why you think that?" I asked her, still looking at the demon in front of us. She was flexing her claws now, and her tail was twitching in anger.

"Well, think about it a second. We both know her father was the ruler of this country. Personally, I think that baldy over there is the ruler. So tell me, would you go against your father?" She asked me, a cat-like grin on her face.

"Well, personally, I never knew my father. So I have no idea." I said to her, rather blandly to hide the small pain in my chest. I didn't know him, but I would like to have met him at least once in my life. "Anyways, please continue." I told her.

"Well, I don't think she wants to go against her father. I doubt she even wanted to come to this, to watch her former companions get killed by demons. However, her father told her to come, no matter what. So, she is trying to stay neutral in the entire affair. So, we have to continue on, without thinking she will help us." Lufia said, shrugging her shoulders as though that didn't matter.

"Right, I don't really give a damn what you people have done, or what explanations you have, however, you people are really starting to piss me off!" I heard the other demon say, charging forward. Unfortunately, I was still a little weary from the fight we had a little bit ago. I didn't really want to fight her, not now.

"Lufia." I said, sitting down on the ground, leaning against a rock. I wanted to rest for a little bit. "Take her. I'm pretty sure that with your ability, you should be able to go toe to toe with her. At least, hold her off for a little bit so that I can get any energy I lost back." Ok, I was hoping for her to hold the demon woman off until Prelait was done with Karell, and return so that I felt a little more like fighting, instead of resting.

"As you wish, Master." She said, bowing slightly to me. There was a perk to having a really strong demon who followed your orders. Someone to take your place when you got tired of fighting. Then again, I would be fighting with her, except that I had a hard time coping without a demons presence inside of me.

Lufia disappeared, and appeared in front of me, holding onto the other demons arm, keeping her claws form reaching me. "This doesn't concern you!" The demon woman shrieked, apparently very pissed that Lufia had stopped her from killing me. Her face was a twisted mask of rage, glaring at me, and then Lufia for stopping her.

"I hate to inform you, but it does concern me." Lufia said, her eyes, narrowing in anger. Lufia then twisted the arm, and then rolled herself, behind the other demon, and then flipped her over her shoulder. The demon woman spread her wings, and landed softly on her feet. "You see, that man over there is my Master." She said, and then I saw a purple energy fly up around her, raising her into the sky, rocks around her flying up as well. "I can't just let you hurt him!" She yelled out, and then moved forward, a speed that almost rivaled Karell's.

She was on top of the other demon in a matter of seconds, despite the other one attempting to get away. Lufia smashed her foot into the jaw of the other demon, who flipped in the air to minimize the damage. Lufia was in her face again, this time; she grabbed the demon by her wings, and then smashed her head into the other demons face! That one looked lie it hurt. Then Lufia jumped on top of her, her feet landing on her shoulders. Then, she flipped herself backwards, landed on her hands, and flipped The other demon woman into the air! Then, I saw energy gather into Lufia, the purple energy she had gathered, flowing into her, and I could feel the power growing, as the other demon came tumbling down. Then, Lufia unleashed a massive kick, all the energy she had gathered had built up in her right foot, which she used to fly forward, and smashed her right foot into the other demon, sending her flying across the field.

The other demon flew across the field, smashing into the wall, black feathers had strewn along the path she had taken. She was embedded in the wall, her wings sticking out the sides as her body had been wedged inside of the wall. It looked like her wings were pretty much destroyed; at least, I don't think she will be able to use them in their current state. Also, her tail seems like it would be trashed, seeing as it is also sticking out of the wall, under her body. "Please tell me that isn't all you are capable of." Lufia said, putting her right first ahead of her, her left one falling to the side of her body in an offensive stance. "If that is it, I don't even know why you bothered to fight me."

The other demon didn't even say a word; she just removed herself from the wall. Her wings folded in, and then they outstretched suddenly, and I heard some cracking. The tail curled up, and then shot out and made the cracking sound of a whip. She turned her head one way, and I heard some cracking. Then she turned it the other way, and I was greeted with the same results. She flexed her claws, and I heard a couple more popping sounds. Then she glared at Lufia, and I saw a green energy gather around the other demon, flaring up around her in much the same way that the purple energy surrounded Lufia. In fact, it reminded me of the red energy that flowed out of me when I used Prelait's power.

I heard a war cry from Lufia, who had purple energy surrounding her as well. And then, the other demon unleashed her own war cry, and I noticed that the ground itself was vibrating. Made it really hard to get comfortable. I know that this was going to decide if I had to fight, but I would like to wait in comfort. I disliked this; especially since a couple pebbles had broken away from the rock I was sitting under, and had decided to fall on me. It hurt a little, but I shrugged it off.

The two charged at each other, and met in the middle of the area they were apart from. Purple melded with green, sending energy crackling all around them, destroying the ground, as it cracked apart, and sent rocks flying. As for the fight inside of the energy, it was amazing in my opinion.

Lufia smashed her fist into the other demon's stomach, who grabbed the fist with her tail, and then slashed Lufia on her arm. Blood flew from Lufia's arm as she jumped backwards, energy gathered in her fist. She launched the beam forward, but the other demon simply smacked it away with her tail, however, it seemed Lufia expected her to do this. Suddenly, the beam twisted around, apparently under Lufia's control, who made it fly above the other demon, and then dive bomb onto her. Lufia then rushed forward, taking her own slash at the female demon. Unfortunately, the other demon grabbed Lufia with her tail, and lifted her into the path of Lufia's own beam, which smashed into the one who created it.

The other demon then smashed Lufia into the ground, who dug her claws into the dirt. Then, she flipped backwards so fast that it brought the other demon towards her, and, I should mention that Lufia's fists were glowing. When she was in striking distance, Lufia let loose a series of punches so fast I couldn't follow her fists, all I saw was a giant blur, and that is truly what it looked like. Then, I saw Lufia grab the other demon by the throat, and pull back her white fist, having the fist turn from white, to a sick purple color. Then, she smashed her fist into the chest of the other demon, where a massive explosion occurred, and launched her backwards, and heading back for the wall at a speed that probably wasn't good for her health.

She flapped her wings, and stopped herself from hitting the wall, but Lufia appeared below her, on her hands, and kicking upwards with her feet. Her foot smashed into the jaw of the other demon, who went flying into the air. Lufia flipped onto her feet, and then jumped after her, the ground around her caving in under the force of the jump. I really hope that no one in my group ends up paying for the damages to this place. I can only imagine numbers that high. Lufia appeared in front of the other demon, and flipped forward, her foot outstretched, smashing her at the ground, however, Lufia grabbed her tail, and brought her back, just to smash her knee into the demons back, and then flipping to her front, grabbed her around the waist, and then spiraled to the ground, spinning so fast that the two blurred together, I was unable to tell them apart, until the smashed into the ground, with a force that shook the arena, and I was sure left a hefty crater.

Green energy burst from the crater, and I saw Lufia get launched high into the air. Then I saw the other demon form a large mall of energy in her hands, and then whip it at Lufia, who got nailed, as the ball exploded, and launched her even higher. Then the other demons wings spread, and she took off after Lufia, the ground shaking at her takeoff. So, is this what a battle between two demons looked like? I must say, I found it pretty sweet. Except, that that was one of my people having the crap torn out of them.

The other demon flew above Lufia, who was still rising, and Lufia looked very pissed, but then again, so did the other demon. The other demon flew about twenty feet above Lufia, before reversing course, and diving straight at Lufia, who formed a shield of purple energy, as the other demon smashed into the shield, sending both of them flying at the ground, until they both hit it with a force that literally sent a wind that pushed me against the rock behind me, and sent a jagged piece of the rock down upon my shoulder, ripping it open, and sending blood down my arm.

I realize something: I don't have Prelait's healing powers anymore. My wound won't heal anytime soon. Damn it! It makes me wish that I had paid a little more attention when they taught us how to bandage ourselves up in the academy. The pain was greater as well, without an instant source to counteract it as well. I clutched my arm, breathing a little heavily. I took some of my clothes, and tried to rip it off, but to no avail, I just didn't have the strength. How was I supposed to bandage myself up without some cloth?! I looked at my sleeve, and then I saw a blue spark of energy, as some of my shirt fell off, about the perfect size for a bandage from that gash. I looked over at Hokara, who wasn't looking at me, but was looking at the fight between Lufia and the other demon a little too intently, as though she wanted to make sure she didn't look at me.

I would thank her later, as I took the bandage, and wrapped it around my wound, pressing it tightly to try to stem off some of the blood flow. It worked, as the blood didn't leave me quite as fast. However, it still hurt, but it was a little better than before. Well, make that another strike to being separated form a demon, loss of really good healing powers.

I looked over at Lufia, and the other demon, who were looking at each other, not doing anything. I had missed something, because I saw that Lufia was panting heavily, and I saw that blood was pouring down both sides of her arms. Then I saw Lufia chuckle a little, before saying "You know, you are a lot better than I gave you credit for. What is your name exactly? I like to remember those who I defeat, something to tell my children when I have them." She said, grinning, as blood spilt from her mouth when she grinned. It made her look…dangerous, sinister, and horrifying. Whether she did it on purpose or not, I have no way to know.

The other demon looked at her, before smiling cruelly. "If you must know, my name is Fidela. Now, would you tell me yours? I also would like to tell me children who I have defeated."

"Sorry, can't do that." Lufia said, flexing her own claws now, before balling her hand into a fist.

"Oh? And why not?" Fidela said, sounding rather pissed off at that answer. I wouldn't blame her in that respect, divulging information, and then not getting the same in return.

"Simple." Lufia said, smiling even wider than before. "You said you want to tell your children who you defeat. I don't plan on losing. So, I am unable to give you my name for the reason you asked. Sorry." Lufia said, her eyes laughing as she said it.

"Little bitch." Fidela said, her claws flexing angrily.

"I resent that remark." Lufia said, sounding a little angry. "I am a cat, not a dog of any kind."

"I'm sorry, I'll try again." Fidela said, smiling cruelly again. Great, I'm getting caught in a war of words now. "Little hussy bitch. There, is that better?"

Lufia didn't say a word, as she flipped backwards, and I saw a wave of energy leave her foot as they traveled from the ground up, slamming into Fidela, and then erupting in flames as Fidela was sent flying across the arena, again, except this time, she was caught on fire. What was it with Lufia, and launching her opponent? Oh well, it doesn't really matter I suppose. Whatever works.

Fidela, burst through the flames, leaving a trail of burning black feathers behind her, and she was holding some type of blue orb. She threw the blue orb, which expanded, and then unleashed a wave of ice shards at Lufia. Lufia just smirked, and stepped backwards, only to trip on a tiny stalagmite thrusting out of the ground. She stumbled backwards, unable to catch her balance as the ice shards descended upon her.

I thrust my palms into the ground, and a wall of stone burst from the ground in front of Lufia, intercepting all of the ice shards, and leaving Lufia unscathed. I pulled my hands away, and let the wall meld back into the ground from whence it came. Fidela glared at me, obviously knowing that Lufia didn't do that. Then I saw her form a green energy ball in her hands, and she was looking straight at me. Damn it.

She threw the energy ball at me, having it travel at such a speed, that if it were made of steel or iron, it would go straight through me. I stood up, and noticed something odd: Even though it traveled at what should be considered a high speed, I saw it as being slow and sluggish. I dashed around it, at such a speed I almost lost my footing. Where did I get such an agility increase?! It was easy to dodge now, and I even ran at Fidela, my speed increasing little by little. I don't know why, but my speed was increasing. I was in front of Fidela in an instant; even she looked surprised I was there so fast. I grabbed her by the throat, and then smashed my fist into her gut, letting go of her throat.

I saw her fly across the field, at a speed I didn't think I could manage in my form. I looked at my fist. That wasn't even my hardest punch. My strength seems to have increased as well, as dramatically as my speed. Just…what was happening to me? I don't mind the change, but there had to be a reason behind this sudden increase in power. Fidela smashed into the wall; she seems to be doing a lot of that. I left the field, and went back to the rock I was sitting under, and sat down again, in roughly the same spot as before.

Lufia was standing by this point, and had looked over at Fidela, and then at me. "I thought you wanted me to fight her." She said, and it sounded like she was pouting a little bit. From enjoyment of the fight, or from not being able to follow my orders, I don't know.

"I do, hence, why I left her alive." I told her, folding my arms on my lap, as though I was some sort of sage. Why I did it was beyond me. "So, you will be the one to finish her. Don't worry, she will still probably have the strength to fight, I know I didn't hit her that hard."

"You hit her hard enough to send her flying, and make another silhouette in the wall." Lufia said, pointing that out to me. I swear, everyone's a critic.

"Take in mind; I could have hit her a lot harder if I had wanted to." I told her, growling a little as I said it. I didn't like being reprimanded.

I looked over, as I heard some more cracking sounds, as Fidela got out of the wall. She looked at me, and then said "You know, this two against one crap is starting to get really old. Can't you two fight fair, at least once?" She growled out, a dangerous tone in her voice.

This coming from a demon? Well, now I suppose I have heard everything. "Tell you what, I'll stop interfering now." I said to her, making myself comfortable against the rock and leaning back slightly, my arms tucked behind my head. "Well, are you two going to fight now, or am I going to have to start your fight for you?" I asked, getting slightly bored. I looked over at Karell's body, and noticed that no more blood was flowing out of it, and that most of the wounds on the outside had bee tended. However, I wonder what kind of internal wounds had to be dealt with.

I stood up, realizing I had something left to do. I walked over to Karell's body, as I felt the two demons smash against each other, their energy ripping through the ground, sending fragments of stone all over. I heard a massive crash, followed by an explosion. I could only guess what was happening. I picked up Karell's body, and brought it with me back to the stone, so that it wouldn't get caught in the crossfire. I'm a little amazed it escaped unscathed for this long.

At the rock, I laid down the body, and then went back to my original position. I looked over, and saw Fidel flying at Lufia, who had, apparently, been launched in the air. I saw Lufia flip in the air, an aura of purple surrounding her hands, as they were raised above her head. Then, she thrust her hands forward, sending a purple beam at Fidela, who took it head on, and was launched to the ground, where the beam exploded all around her, and then the explosion's flames flew up, and consumed Lufia, but she didn't cry out in pain. The flame shad surrounded her, and then they took form: A phoenix.

It was a golden bird, enveloped in orange flames, as giant wings flapped slowly, keeping Lufia in the air. Then, Lufia, flew directly at Fidela, who had another frozen orb in her hands. She launched the orb, which expanded, and then launched a bunch of ice shards at Lufia, who sent a wall of flamed at the ice shards, melting them all. It even melted the giant orb, as Lufia charged on through. Lufia smashed into Fidela, a wave of flames erupting from the two, so much that I formed a wall of earth to keep the flames from reaching Karell and me. I swear I was using that move more and more these days.

I lowered the wall, and then saw that those two were fighting in the middle of a sea of flames! Lufia used her tail to trip Fidela, who used her own tail to stay balanced. Fidela then took a wide slash at Lufia, who jumped back, and then twisted her entire body, and then thrust with her left foot, only to have Fidela catch it, things did not look too good then. Lufia then dropped onto her hands, and twisted her entire body, and smashed her right foot into the side of Fidela's face. Ok, maybe things were better than I had thought.

Fidela flipped over sideways, standing on her hands, and then smashed her foot into Lufias head, smashing her into the ground, making it crack a little. That one looked really painful. I saw Lufia get up and spring away from Fidela, blood streaming down her face from a gash across her forehead. Blood was slowly dripping off of her, and it looked like it was about to go into her eyes. Lufia swiped her sleeve across her forehead, taking the blood off of it, only to have some more drip out of her wound. Things were not looking too good for her right about now. If blood got in her eyes, it would give Fidela a great advantage. Now then, my other question: Where did Lufia get all of those moves?! Did she hold back against me when we had fought in the forest? I wanted a rematch with her, and I would have one, when we escaped this village.

Lufia then bolted forward, blood streaming out the sides of her head, falling behind, a trail of crimson. Lufia took a slash at Fidela, only to miss horribly; Fidela didn't even need to move to dodge it. Was her blood loss so bad that it was starting to affect her? I might have to fight then, I didn't want to take the chance of losing another companion.

Then, Lufia just disappeared. As though she had fallen through a trapdoor, she was gone! I had no idea where she went, and Fidela had the same problem I did, as she was looking around, trying to find her opponent. Then, the ground around the stadium started cracking. It happened all over, as though some monstrosity was trying to break through. The cracking spread to me,, and I picked up Karell's body, preparing myself to run away if I had to.

Then, something burst from the ground, a tundra of rocks following it. I looked up, so see a purple aura surrounding Lufia. It seemed to attract the rocks for some reason, and then, the rocks assaulted Fidela. She smashed most of them out of the way with her claws and tail, however, a couple got clean shots on her. She jumped away form the rock pile, only to see Lufia in her face, how she had gotten there, I don't know. Then, Lufia grabbed her by the wings, and shoved her foot extremely quickly to Fidela's chest, and I heard a horrid ripping sound, as Fidel flew backwards, without her wings, blood streaming form her back. Fidela cried out in pain, a loud cry so loud that I covered my ears, accidentally dropping Karell. Then I saw Lufia toss throw the wings aside, blood pouring from her hands. Then Lufia bolted forward, and arrived in front of Fidela before she hit the rocks, and then did a powerful uppercut, launching her into the air.

Then Lufia, instead of following after her like I expected, flexed her right hands claws, as Fidela started to fell. In fact, Lufia licked her claws a little, and then I noticed that Fidela was falling at Lufia, unable to control where she went without her wings. Then, when she was almost upon Lufia, I saw Lufia thrust her claws up, catching Fidela in her open stomach, only to see Fidela's body go straight through, as she was skewered on Lufia's claws. Then I saw Lufia move her claw sin front of her, to see the wide-eyed face of Fidela, a she was gasping for breath. Blood was pouring in such large quantities from her wound, even though Lufia still had her hand in her. Then I saw Lufia pull her claw aside, and then whipped Fidela off of her, as Fidela rolled over, dying on the ground. She wasn't recovering from that anytime soon. I would even go far enough to say she was as good as dead. Unfortunately, demon or not, enemy or no, I hate to see people suffer unless they deserve it.

"Lufia, finish her off. A good clean kill." I told her, folding my arms, as I was listening to Fidela as she got her breath back, and started to cry and howl in pain at the same time.

"As you wish, Master." Lufia said, walking over to Fidela as she lay on the ground. Then, she flexed her claws, and then balled it into a fist, and smashed it with a great force, enough to create a shockwave along the ground, as she crushed Fidela's skull, and destroyed the brain. Liquid had burst from Fidela, as a red stream erupted for two seconds, before disappearing altogether. I saw some thing looking sickly pink slide across the floor, part of Fidela's brain. Fidela stopped crying instantly. She was dead.

Lufia licked her hand, wiping the blood off of it, and spat it out. "Disgusting." Was all she said before walking back towards me. I looked over, and saw the door for another monster to come through, open up. I was sick of this.

"Lufia, we are going. Follow me." I told, her, bolting, leaving Karell's body behind for Prelait to take care of. I know she will come back when she is finished. I ran through the door, smashing my fist into some sort of demon as I went by, knocking him to the ground. I heard Lufia step on him, a she trailed behind me. I looked around as we ran, not liking the look of this.

I saw demons, lots and lots of demons. They were being held in small cells, with liquid floating around them, instruments of every sort attached to them in research. I saw plenty of graphs, each one indicating random things about the demon held. Approximate age, estimated age to live, strength, skills, some pondering for others to look at, and then some of them just had random doodles, as though that was what the creature could transform into. I wasn't going to release any of them mind you. I might have, except that they are glaring at Lufia and me as we ran by, hatred for me, and some of them looked at Lufia, a strange glint in their eye. She apparently noticed this, and growled a little bit. I guess women, no matter what race, hate being eye candy. That or it was something about her and them I didn't understand. Either way, I wasn't releasing them.

I ran along, wondering why there were no guards posted here. It would seem to me that something like this wasn't something you left alone. Then I looked right next to one of the cells, and saw a skeleton. It wasn't an old skeleton; in fact, it had small bits of flesh all over it. However, it had blood all around it, and the blood wasn't more than a few days old. It was a human skeleton. Ok, maybe there were guards, but I was guessing that one of the released creatures killed them, and ate some of the flesh. Was the creature still loose? Or was it something we had killed in that arena? I hope we had already killed it, but I was going to be a little paranoid right now.

"Lufia, stay on your guard. We might not be alone right now." I said to her, pulling out a kunai. I didn't like the looks of this. Then I heard a horrible wailing above me, and I looked up, and dropped my kunai in surprise and horror.

A man was up there, strapped to the ceiling. It appeared to be one of the guards, it was the fact he was alive that shocked me the most. His chest had been ripped open; I could see his heart, still beating in his chest. The blood inside of him had dried up, and I noticed that some of it was on the ground, scratch that, a lot of it was there. I saw his lungs, as they pumped feverishly, as he tried to stay alive. I picked up my kunai, and then threw it at him, having it embed itself in his forehead, ending his wailing and suffering. I don't know what kind of creature is capable of that, but it was not one I would like to meet in my lifetime.

"Master, what did that to him?" Lufia asked me, her eyes…quivering…in the horror she had witnessed.

"I don't know what could have done that to him." I told her, taking out another kunai, growing more paranoid than ever. "Whatever did that to him wanted us to see it, however. A trick to set us on nerves edge, and frankly, it is working. I don't know about you, but it is making me paranoid."

Then…I heard something on the ceiling. A sliding noise, so faint, I wondered if I had heard it. I looked up, and saw a snake-like creature on the ceiling. It appeared to be a green and silver color, as it slid along, tiny flashes sparking the ceiling. It had little spikes protruding form its head, with human flesh stuck all over it, and dried blood coating its mouth. It had black eyes; as though it would hide all of the sins it had created. It didn't appear to be very friendly, at least, I was judging by its appearance. Well, I wasn't going to let it get the first strike.

I threw my kunai at it, as it quickly got out of the way, my kunai creating a tiny little spark as it bounced off the ceiling of the cavern we were in. Lufia noticed the creature as well and quickly jumped up, and smashed it with her foot, and then I saw it spurt out blood and drop. It didn't move at all. It was that easy to kill? I expected it to be a little tougher. Maybe it was from fighting in that arena all this time, I have to remember not everything was as strong as the creatures I had fought.

We continued to walk along the corridor, and nothing seemed out of the ordinary, apart from the occasional corpse. That didn't surprise me that much, but it was still unnerving to see bottomless eye sockets staring at me as I walked past, as though it was blaming me for the way or fact it had died. "This place is…disturbing me." Lufia said, and I had felt her start to tense up this entire time.

"I know what you mean. It is damaging my psychology as well; I don't know how we will be able to think straight for a while." I said to her, walking along, moving a spider web that had gotten in my way. This place was sick, even by my own standards. I'm not used to things, but this place was a mockery of life, as I believe it to be. The demons were everywhere, just how had the bald man gotten a hold of every one of these creatures? I could understand a few, demons weren't always cunning enough. However, to get a hold of this many…he had some sort of source, that was the only way he could have gotten a hold of so many demons.

I walked on, until I entered a large room. This room…was huge. I'm talking that Prelait in fox form could probably fit comfortably in here. The walls were lined with cells, but these cells didn't house demons: They hosted humans. I saw all genders, sizes, ages. I even saw a couple children in here. I saw a large phial of liquid in the center, standing about thirty feet high, and forty feet long. There was some sort of black liquid inside of it. That liquid looked all too familiar. I pulled out a kunai, and threw it at the phial, but my kunai bounced harmlessly off of the glass encasing it. The liquid stirred a little, moving sluggishly. It was thick, thick as blood. Black…blood?

I reacted, even more violently than I had first thought. I rushed forward, and smashed my fist into the phial where it was, I couldn't even crack it. My hand hurt form doing that as well. However, I noticed that some of the human inside of the place were looking at us now, with dull eyes. Wait…they weren't human. They didn't have eyes, and it was the first time that I noticed that they were pale. Completely pale. They were shoving against the glass, trying to reach us. I think it was sound proof glass, because I couldn't hear a thing, even though they were opening their mouths.

I looked at Lufia, who appeared…shaken, pretty badly. "These…these creatures…I recognize them." She said, her voice quivering slightly. "Master, please, can we leave here soon? I mean extremely quickly? I don't like this place and those creatures…" she let it trail off, her voice telling me the terror they instilled in her. Ok, maybe I could interfere with the past in certain respects. They appeared to grate her nerves like before, a terror from her childhood coming alive.

"Don't worry, we will leave soon." I told her, feeling some terror as well. Even though I now how easily I could take them…in three tailed demon form…which I do not have right now. Ok, maybe we should leave a little quicker than I had thought of a little bit ago. "In fact, we are going to leave now."

"I don't think you will." I heard someone say behind me. I knew the voice. I whipped around, and threw a kunai at the bald man who was standing there. He deflected it with his sword rather easily. "You see, you have seen far too much. I am afraid that I can't let you out of here alive."

I saw Hokara by him. I was getting sick of this. "Hokara, why are you doing this?!" I yelled at her, using her real name.

The bald man was shocked, and then looked at the woman next to him. "Daughter…he knows your name." He said to her, looking a little puzzled and agitated.

"Yes, I told him it." She said to her father, without looking at him.

The man looked grieved, and then appeared to steel himself. "Very well, I know what it means. It pains me to do this, but go to him. I know our customs, as well as you do. I don't want to kill you as well, but it seems I have no choice, goodbye daughter."

"Goodbye father." She said, walking over to Lufia and I. Then she turned around, and I saw a blue energy surround her, and then force itself into a physical manifestation.

"So, your real name is Hokara?" Lufia asked her, letting this little puzzlement get the better of her fear.

"Yes." Hokara said, without any emotion like usual. Personally, I want to know what the Hell just happened. I believe that Hokara is fighting on our side now, but I want to know why? Did it have something to do with me knowing her name? I swear, travel around, and you will find some very strange places with very strange customs.

"Well then, you young ones had better prepare yourself." He said, his blade flashing in the air. Then he brought it down, and sent a bunch of giant rocks at us, as I threw up a shield of earth to block them. Then I melted the shield, and I saw the bald man rushing through the midst, and I barely pulled out a kunai and stopped the blade in time. He jumped away, as a blue energy blasted into the ground, and then bounded after him. He threw something onto the ground, and a pillar of smoke burst from the spot, and then he disappeared inside of the smoke. The blue energy returned to Hokara, waving around her a little dangerously.

I saw Lufia rush into the smoke, and then I saw her fly out, a speed telling me that she was punched or kicked. That, and her feet weren't on the ground, and she didn't appear to be in control of her movements. I bolted over, and caught her before she crashed into anything. Man, I have seen a lot of bodies fly around recently, must be something I ate or some strange thing like that. I let Lufia down, throwing a couple shuriken with exploding notes at the black smoke, trying to flush him out. Looting some of those corpses along the way had really paid off, even though I felt a little guilty for doing so.

He burst from the smoke, charging at us, his blade shining, as he launched a sparkling beam at Hokara, who moved away from her spot to avoid the blast of energy. Then the blue energy attacked him again, except this time, he was attacking it with his own blade. He cut it in half, except, it seems to be sucked into the blade when he did this. Then he turned and took a slash at me, even though we were far apart. Then, I saw the blue energy going straight for me. I jumped into the air, as the energy flowed underneath me. then the man stepped forward, and took a slash at me, this time close enough to strike me. It caught me across the chest, as I saw my blood fall out of me, and drip onto the ground. I clutched my wound, seeing the world get a little blurry.

I tried to focus, but it was hard. I shoved myself into a standing position, having a hard time doing that. I smashed my fist along my wound, accepting the pain that came with it. It stopped the blood from flowing from my wound, which I made sure was as closed as it would get. Sweat still poured into the wound, stinging my entire body, as the salt entered my open blood. It helped clean the wound, that much was true, but it still hurt. I growled a little, missing the healing powers that came with hosting a demon inside of me. at least, the healing powers I received from Prelait when she was inside of me. I could still go a couple rounds, if I only had wounds like this one across my chest.

However, I still had to suffer the wound on my shoulder from a jagged rock, so I was probably going to have some trouble doing that. Then, the man attacked me again, obviously seeing me as the most wounded and most vulnerable. Although something was strange this time. He was getting…slower. I moved against him, with such a speed, I had to make sure I was the one who went to him, not the other way around. I smashed my fist into his stomach, and I felt his muscles twist around my fist. Then, he flew backwards, a speed I didn't think would happen. He was embedded in the wall, it had cracked around him.

He glared at me. And then started to ramble to himself, as he pulled himself out of the wall. "Despite your wounds, you seem to be getting stronger. Faster. No matter what I do to you, you only seem to grow stronger. Despite a gash on your shoulder, and a slice across your chest, and the fact you have trouble standing. Even though the blood loss must be pretty bad by now, what with your wounds not having completely stopped. Yet, you are definitely stronger, faster than you were before. This is the first time…I have ever fought…" He looked at me, as though he could see through my skin, and look at what could make me tick. Then, in an almost reverent voice, he finished "A Blood Raider."

"Blood Raider?" I asked, looking at him, completely puzzled. What was he talking about?

"If I had known I was taking on a Blood Raider, I wouldn't have toyed around with you. I only made you stronger and harder to beat in doing so. And you grow stronger by the second." He said, hefting his sword above his head, pointed at me.

Lufia charged in from the side, but he only side-stepped, and hit her with the hilt on top of her head, making her fall forward, not getting up. The blue energy attacked him, but he threw a stone at Hokara, at such a speed that it smashed her on the head, and knocked her out. "I needed to get rid of the distractions." He said, pointing the blade at me. "If I don't focus on you, there is a good chance that I will die. At least this way, I stand a chance at beating you."

"What the Hell is a Blood Raider already?!" I yelled at him, feeling rage fill me up at how easily he had taken my companions out. He didn't kill them for some reason, but I doubted that he would give me the same mercy.

"You don't know?" He asked sounding a little amused. He wouldn't stop pointing the blade at me, as though that alone would keep me at bay. "A Blood Raider…feared throughout the warrior realm for their abilities. It is said you have to make a clean killing stroke against a Blood Raider, or victory is impossible. However, you are yet young, and haven't fully developed your abilities. If you were an adult, I know I would be dead. However, I can beat you in the form you are in. It won't be easy, but I will somehow manage it."

"You still haven't told me just what a Blood Raider is, and what they are capable of." I said to him, getting annoyed. Would he just answer the question already?

"Why does it matter if I tell you? I don't plan on letting you out of here alive. Also, if I die, I don't want you to know about your abilities. If you knew about them, you would become such a terror for those I work for…whoops, shouldn't have let that one slip." He said, bracing himself for what he was about to do.

He burst forward, at a much greater speed than before. He was toying with us a little bit ago. However, now he seems to be prepared for the worst. I ran at him, moving quicker than he could, and then slammed my right foot into his side, making him topple over, and smash into the ground, sending fragments of rock flying. Even though I know he was stronger than before, he still seemed a little…weak.

He flipped out of the small crater, and then swung his sword at me, sending a wave of energy at me. I don't know what possessed me, but I just stuck out my hand, and caught the wave of energy, as though it was nothing more than a stone tossed at me. Just what is happening to me? It didn't matter, I would ask the question later, and I was going to rip this man apart. I threw the energy aside, and got in his face. He was surprised, but didn't let it show, as I grabbed his blade, and shattered it with only one of my hands. The metal bit into my skin, making me bleed a little more. I grabbed him by his throat, and effortlessly lifted him into the air, despite the heavy armor her had on.

"So…this is the power of a Blood Raider, even at such a young age." He said, gasping for breath, even though my hand was clutching his throat. "Such strength, no wonder…they say…for…a quick…killing blow." Then, I saw him tap something at his belt, sending a massive flash into my eyes, and I didn't blink at all. I let go of him, and stumbled backwards, rubbing my eyes, trying to see clearly once again.

I heard him bound backwards, but I couldn't see him. Trying to attack now wouldn't end well for me. I'm surprised he didn't attack me when I was vulnerable. I heard an odd sound though; it was the sound of something taking off, at a rather large speed as well. I heard the sound, I don't know how many times. It was deafening to me, as I covered my ears and closed my eyes, trying to purge this sound from myself. It didn't work, until the sounds ended, and then I opened my eyes. It was still a bit blurry, but I could see around myself, and I noticed that all the creatures around us were gone, only black holes showed that something had been there before.

"Where did you send them?!" I yelled at him, rage filling me. He unleashed those creatures upon the world, a fate no one deserves.

He looked at me, before laughing a bit. "Why, Uzumaki Naruto, I'm amazed you have to ask that." He knew my name?! What else did he know? "To think, the container of one of the ultimate demons alive was also a Blood Raider. I must say, it was quite a shock to me." He knew all about me…then…what else does he know? "Those creatures are on their way to Konoha, going to land approximately fifty miles away from it. It will take them about two weeks to arrive at the village. They are good killers, but that is all, slow and stupid, their only strength is numbers. However, it isn't something you need to concern yourself with. You will die here."

So, he sent those creatures at Konoha? Damn it, I needed to get back there and quickly. I didn't think that a possibility, but if those creatures were anything like with Lufia, there are a few ninja who will be completely useless against them. Damn and double damn! "In case you forgot, you stand no chance against me. You are too slow and weak to take me on." I said to him, my right hand clenching into a fist, I couldn't make it anything else I was so angry.

"True, if I fought you, I would die. However, I don't plan on fighting you." He said, taking his sword, and then slicing himself across his palm. Then he slid the blood onto the blade, and then slashed the air around him. A green portal opened. A familiar looking green portal. Please…not what I think it is. I saw someone step through the portal. A thirteen year old looking boy, an indigo hair color with two antennas protruding from his head. A red cape flapped even though there was no wind, and he wasn't wearing a shirt. The only clothing besides the cape he had on were a pair of red shorts. He had pointed ears, like an elf if I ever saw one. His eyes were a crazed blood red, as though to reflect the soul of the one who had the eyes. He didn't bear a weapon this time, but I was still scared.

"Why have you summoned me?" He said, his voice a little high pitched, he even sounded a little immature. If it weren't for the fact that I saw him destroy an entire village in one move, I wouldn't even have considered him a threat. However, I knew how deadly he could be. The King of Hell.

"I have summoned you, so that you may slay him." The bald man said, pointing at me. I saw that coming, but it still didn't stop me from flinching.

He looked at me, and then looked around the place. "Where are the people you are going to sacrifice?" He asked, as though it was a natural order of the world.

"Oh, please excuse me. I am sacrificing something a little different this time." He said, pushing a button on a console next to him. I heard something slide open, more than one actually. I heard it come from the corridor I had come form. I looked over, and saw…hundreds of demons coming towards us. "I hope you accept this offering instead of people."

"I don't accept it." The King said, folding is arms. "If I wanted demons, I would have just stayed in the Netherworld. You mock me. I refuse to slay him for you. Try something else, something where I don't have to work as much, and I will consider doing it for you. Also, why are you having such troubles? Those wounds look pretty bad, even without a sword; you should be able to strangle the life out of him."

"Well, you see," the bald man said, glaring at me with more than a bit of malice. "He is no ordinary warrior. He is a Blood Raider; I am unable to defeat him in his current state."

"Oh, a Blood Raider?" The boy said, looking at me a little more peculiarly. "That changes everything; I'm amazed you are alive right now then. However, I won't slay him, not without human sacrifices. Choose another task for me, something I would actually consider doing with the disappointment you have given me." He said, folding his arms, looking uncaringly at the demons slowly stalking towards him.

The bald man looked a little scared, as though the demons would kill him for holding them captive. I had a feeling they would kill him. No one and nothing likes to be held captive. "We-Well then, could you make it so that the Blood Raider and those demons don't kill me?" He asked, sweating a little out of fear. I thought it would be too big of a task for no sacrifices, but I was rather surprised.

"So, you want me to make it so that those demons and the Blood Raider there can't kill you?" The King asked, a smirk on his face. Ok, I know my life is in danger, but is it so much to ask just what the Hell a Blood Raider was?! I would like the answer, and rather soon. "Very well, I am willing to manage that." He said walking over to the Bald man.

"Oh thank you very mu-!" He said, as the King of Hell shoved his hand through the Bald man's chest, and pulled out his heart, as it beat in his hands, the King was just looking him in the eyes, grinning the entire time. "I…thought you…would…" He couldn't finish his sentence, he didn't have the strength.

"Oh? I did do what you asked." The King said, laughing sinisterly after he said it. "Tell me, did the Blood raider kill you? Did those demons over there kill you? No, I killed you. By all technical terms I fulfilled our bargain. Just, not in the way you expected me too." Then he crushed the heart in his hands, and looked at me.

I took a step back, not wanting to fight him. However, he wasn't exactly looking at me in a friendly way. "So, Blood Raider, how do you plan to make it out of here alive?" He asked me, and then he pointed at the demons. "I don't plan on killing them for you. Also, I doubt in your current condition, despite your power increase, you can take all of them. Also, you have to protect those two on the ground." He said, indicating Lufia and Hokara. "You are in quite a predicament." He said, laughing sinisterly as he said it.

"However, I have never seen a Blood Raider fight. It is a bit…intriguing in my opinion. I want to see if the rumors are true. However, at this rate, you will die of blood loss." He said. He was toying with me, as though this was all some sort of sick joke. Then, he snapped his fingers. "Tell you what, I will give you a way to slay all those demons, however, you will have to decide if you want to take it." He said, grinning evilly at me.

I was wary. I remember Prelait telling me about how he wants something different from everyone. "Just…what is it you would want in return?" I asked him, keeping an eye on the demons who were cautiously moving forward. They wanted to eat my companions; I could see them eyeing them. However, all the demons kept their eyes on the King of the Netherworld, knowing him for what he was. They didn't want to offend him.

"To the point, are we?" He asked me, still grinning. That grin was pissing me off, but I couldn't do anything to stop him, not with his strength. "Well, for this once, I just want to see if you truly have an ability. If the rumors about your kind are true. Also, seeing a Blood Raider fight, and live to tell about it? That will be enough to satisfy me for this time. So tell me, do you accept?" He asked me, grinning at me like some sort of maniac.

I looked at him, as he outstretched his hand toward me. Do I make a deal with the Devil?

General Badaxe- and cue Cliffhanger! Well, once again, I imagine people are going to yell at me. Well, be happy, I updated a lot sooner than even I expected. So, can anyone find any flaws in the story, besides spelling and grammar? If so, point it out so that I can fix it. Thank you, and have a good day.


	12. Chapter 12

General Badaxe- Yeah, yeah, I'm really late in updating. However, I have had a string of accidents in the meantime. I don't feel like explaining them, so if you are curious, look up Caged fox, and look at the most recent chapter, and you will get a general breakdown of what has happened to me and what Hell I went through while I was away. On the bright side, probably before I post this making this a little later, I am going to my cousins wedding, so that is one thing I can look forward to. Anyways, onto reviews. **Megaolix,** you are very correct. Now…I need to decide exactly what to do on that end of things, don't I? **The fifth Rider of Armageddon,** You are close, but I expected people to think of that. Not exactly marriage, but it is something close to it. No…it has nothing to do with anything sexual. **Shandrakor,** It was a fun thought, but I didn't really plan on killing her off. Just proving a point to my readers not to become too attached to ANY character in my fanfictions. **Ero-Kun,** Considering your reaction, I kind of expect you to be slightly blown away by this chapter. Well, if I can make it interesting of course. **BeeS,** Thank you for the compliments. But, try not to swell my ego too much, alright? I like to be down-to-earth more than anything. **Blue Rover,** I'll admit, authors like me are a rare breed. I wish I could say otherwise, but that would be nothing short of a lie. Too many write for fame and acclaim in my opinion. **RedFist,** I'll tell you what the hardest part about writing in first person is: Keeping the audience interested. After all, if you write in third person, you can quickly shift the scene to the really evil people, and get a small bit of what they are planning, and then switch back to keep readers intrigued. However, because I believe if you write in first person it should be centered on the guy you are 'being' for lack of better words, it is much harder for me to keep others interested. **Havock,** It is written in first person, a pure first person, so you just might not be used to that style of writing. Other than that, I'll ask you nicely once: don't tell me what to do. Yes, that is me being nice. Well, now that that is over, lets get on with it. This thing is really late for an update. (Rhyme not intended.)

You know…I remember a time when the worst thing I had to worry about was making sure people didn't catch me when they were drunk. There was a time when all I had to worry about was getting my next meal. Now then, most people think that those would be real things to worry about. Obviously, these kind of people did not have one of the strongest beings I existence looking at them in the eye, his hand outstretched, asking if he wanted a way to fight through hundreds of demons only keeping back because of the massive power before them. Still…I was feeling rather weak, so I didn't know how much of a choice this really was. I kept looking him square in the eye, and I'll admit, when I have to look down to look him in the eye, it is kind of hard to take this being seriously. But…not taking him seriously would be a foolish thing to do on my part. "So…you just want me to show you if…I am a Blood Raider, is that it?" I asked him, staying wary.

He gave a very dark chuckle, the likes of which made me want to run in fear. I had no idea a being could produce such a feeling inside of me. "Foolish mortal." He said, folding his arms, a cruel smile playing on his lips. "I already know you are a Blood Raider, I just want to verify if you have one of their fabled abilities. That's all. No strings attached. Accept, and I'll give you far more than enough power to decimate these weaklings." He told me, indicating the demons around him. "After all," He said, a twisted sound entering his voice, as his cape unfurled, and whipped out, snatching a demon with three legs, seven eyes, and a massive jaw, and colored a dark red color, as though made of blood. "These creatures don't have the strength to hold the power I contain in my cape at bay, let alone my body." He said, before his cape squeezed the creature so fast and tightly, that the thing just blew its head off, sending a fountain of blood dripping all along the walls and ground. The cape then threw the corpse across the room, until it gave a loud slapping sound as it smacked into a wall. His hand was still outstretched towards me, and he was still giving me that cruel and malicious grin.

I looked back at Lufia and Hokara, both of them were still knocked out. They wouldn't be able to help me. I looked back at the demon before me, shaking slightly. I pulled in as much breath as I could, before extending my own hand. "I hate to say it, but you have a deal." I told him, grabbing his hand into my own.

"Good, good." He said, before his own hand gripped mine. Sharply, strongly, and painfully. I gasped; he was far stronger than he looked. Then he started walking toward me, and lifting his hand at the same time, bringing my own arm with his. Then he pushed down, forcing me to my knee, and started gripping tighter. I opened my mouth, gasping for breath, fear of closing it flooding me, making me think that doing so would cut off all the air that was coursing to my lungs. Then the demon in front of me took his other hand, and plunged it deep into his stomach, grinning sinisterly the entire time.

If I wasn't gasping from pain, I would have fallen over in shock at what he had done. What was he doing?! Then he pulled his hand out of his stomach, and it was dripping and colored in a deep crimson color, as it was dripping off of the skin that was holding some other amount of blood in him. "Flonne's going to throw a fit when I get back." I heard him mutter to himself, before he took his hand, held it over my throat, and then squeezed blood out of it down my mouth, down my throat, and into my stomach. It was a vile tasting thing, the sickening taste of his blood. Then he violently let go of me, wrenching me into the air, and throwing me across the room, in the direction of the demons. "I have given you the way to defeat these weaklings, now show me your true power, 'Blood Raider!'" He roared at me, and I know he was getting into a comfortable position to watch what was going on.

I landed…approximately twenty feet from the demons, and then I rolled a little closer to them. I gave us about…ten feet after I was done rolling. I stood up, clutching my head. My arm was hurting as well, and I was gritting my teeth. I looked at the demons, which were stalking closer to me…slightly wary…of something. The worst thing though…was the dark feeling growing in my gut…as though some living creature of such sinister proportion that it would make you shudder just to think about started to…feed inside of me. I couldn't describe it as anything else, as the power grew stronger ever so slowly, and I started to grip my stomach with both hands, doubling over. The feeling spread…contaminating my legs and arms, and I felt it creeping up my neck, slowly suffocating me, as it spread farther and deeper. I could barely breathe anymore…pain was spreading through me at a rapid rate…My world felt like it was going black, and I think I came really close to passing out.

Then…the feeling died out. As though it never existed, the thing just disappeared. I looked around…nothing had changed. What…was that guy trying to do? Making me ingest his blood like that? All it seemed to do was make me suffer a little in agony. I looked around, and noticed that the demons were moving closer, but their guard was higher than ever. I…didn't have the strength to fight them. Probably the only lasting effect of the blood I drank would be the feeling of weakness spreading over me. But…I couldn't back down now; I was the only one going to fight these things. It sucks to be me.

I pulled out my kunai, and held it, pointed at the closest demon. Then…I lost it.

A dark blue power burst from me, so suddenly that I cried out in shock, pain, and surprise. The kunai in my hands disintegrated, turning into nothing more than metal dust, which floated through the wind, which was being created by the insurmountable power emanating from my body so suddenly. I was hurting, badly. My body wasn't meant to contain this kind of power, I could contain it! It wanted out! It was beating on the inside of my body, some untamed beast trying to break free. I…couldn't restrain myself. Holding back…was not an option I even had a chance to consider, so great was the force engulfing me.

I lunged forward, so quickly and powerfully that my feel left an imprint in the steel floor we were standing on, as I grabbed the first demon with my hands, and then crushed them together, making it explode in my palms, as though it was nothing more than a balloon. It didn't even feel tough…As though I was stronger…too strong. I didn't have time to think though, the power wanted more blood, now. I lunged viciously into the center of them demons, and then thrust my fist into the air so quickly that the wind lifted up the demons around me, and launched them high into the air, so quickly did the accelerate, and then smashed into the ceiling, leaving blood smeared all along it as some sick and twisted paint. The bodies then fell down, and spread more blood along the floors, as the bodies smashed into it with a sick and wet sound. Then blood slowly dripped from the ceiling onto the floor.

I don't know how I looked, as I slowly turned my head towards the rest of the demons, but it was either scary enough, or crazy enough, that all of them took a step back from me in fear. I moved again, slamming my fist through the stomach of another demon, grabbing the intestines inside of it, and pulling them out, wrapping them around the creatures neck, and then tying them up so tightly that he would have to cut them off in order to keep from suffocating to death. Then, I picked it up, and threw it across the room and smashing it into the wall, and I heard a few bones crack, or break, at the impact.

A demon grabbed me from behind, but that one didn't live long either, as power escaped from my back, and all I felt was blood falling onto my back. I moved forward, moving into the center of a lot of demons, and then flipping into the air, high above them, as power gathered into my fist, and then, I bolted downward at terminal velocity, and smashed my fist into the ground, as flames leaped around me, and then an incinerating tornado took over, completely annihilating any creature near me.

I looked over…some small part of myself still holding concern for the two women there. Demons were looming over them…and the beast inside of me took over again. I flew at them, the sonic boom I created so great that a few demons standing too close to me when I ran by them fell over, cut in half by the air I created, as others were thrown around, the compressed air blasting them away from me.

I grabbed two demons looming over them around the throat, and then roaring out violently, so violently, that blood spat out of my throat, catching a third demon I the face, as some sort of acidic material apparently present in my blood, started to eat through his skin, as it clutched its face, and fell on the ground screaming in pain. The two I held in my hand, I smashed them together so roughly that their connecting heads imploded on impact, crushing every bone or exoskeleton they had protecting their brains.

I tossed those two corpses aside, and then whipped around, and bolted towards another demon, a group of three to be precise. I grabbed two by the throat, and crushed them, cutting off the wind in their system very effectively. The third one, I kicked him high into the air, and then unleashed some type of black energy from inside of me, as it flew up, and slashed through that demon, as those two parts fell to the ground, its bloods completely turned black, as though poisoned. It might have been the demons natural blood color, but the way it was bubbling, or boiling depending on how you looked at it, I doubted that.

I turned around, and slammed my right palm into the ground, splitting the ground where I stood, and then cracking all along, and then I reached deep into the ground with some sort of energy I found within me, and then shot it upwards. Stalagmites burst through the ground, catching a multitude of demons unaware, as they were impaled, the ones on four legs seemed luckier as well: The ones standing on two legs got impaled through the crotch. That didn't seem too pleasant, even in my rage induced state.

I then let go of the ground, and picked up a stalagmite, and the whipped around, and threw it at a rather large demon, standing at about three times my height, as it caught it in the stomach, and then slammed through a wall, pinning the creature there. Then I looked over, and saw a couple demons trying to run away. The beast inside of me lurched at this, completely pissed off that they didn't even have the decency to stay and fight.

I ran past them, too quickly for any of them to notice, as I whipped around, sweeping as fast as I could with my legs, so quickly that my sweep cut through their legs, and making them fall over, their appendages missing from their bodies. I just left them there, blood loss would claim them soon, and if not, another creature would finish off those easy preys. So, it was no longer anything for me to worry about. I turned around, and then lifted my hands into the air. I felt kind of stupid doing this, I'll admit, but something else was controlling my body alongside me…some other alien creature. Then, I saw spheres of energy engulf the air around me, and then I swept my arms down, as the mass of balls conglomerated onto a small group of demons, as a massive explosion rocked the area, and then the dust cleared and all that was left was a few craters.

I looked around, anxiously looking for another demon to slaughter…only to find out they were all dead. Or…if they were alive they were very good at hiding. Then…I felt something leave me, some sort of specter exiting my body. Then I calmed down…and I looked closer around the situation. Most importantly though, I looked at myself. I was dripping blood, not one drop of it my own. It was a multitude of colors, green, blue, black, red, any color imaginable. I was a walking canvas, a sick and twisted version of the canvas. The room wasn't much better; it looked like a war had taken place in here, with all the cracking walls, and breakings in the ground. But…I didn't feel wrong for doing all of that. I felt…exhilarated…me...I wanted to do it again.

I heard some clapping, and I whipped around, and saw that demon standing there, clapping, a twisted smile adorning his face as he surveyed the situation. "Not bad, not bad at all." He told me, chuckling a little, a deep and evil chuckle.

"What the Hell did you do to me?!" I roared at him, which in retrospect isn't a very smart idea, but I was completely pissed off at that point.

"Me?" He asked, laughing a little, and shaking his head before looking at me, pointing his finger at me, and said "I didn't do anything besides give you the means to defeat your opponents, which if I recall correctly, was the only thing I said I would do. I never said it would be pleasant, did I?" He asked me, laughing a little. He quit laughing shortly after, and then said to me "Well, you confirmed what I wanted to learn, 'Blood Raider.' So, I'll take my leave now." He said, as a green portal appeared next to him, some sort of dimensional rift.

"Wait!" I said, stretching forth my right hand, as though I could hold him back with the air. A foolish thing, but it was a bit of instinct. "What about those creatures heading toward Konoha?! How are we going to deal with those?" I asked him, thinking about the dream I had a while ago.

He just laughed. A long and horrendous sounding laugh. Then he cut it off suddenly, very amused about something. "'We?'" He asked me, before laughing again. "'We' aren't going to do anything, after all, it is your problem, not mine. So a village gets destroyed, it's no skin off of my back. The real question would be: 'What are YOU going to do about it?'" He said, before laughing again as he stepped through the portal, and it closed, leaving only the echo of his laughter resounding through the empty building.

I felt numb inside. Those creatures…casualties would probably be high, depending on how quickly they would be able to assess the situation. That, and find out exactly how to kill those creatures. "Ever get the feeling that life just hates you?" I heard a voice ask me, as I looked to the side, startled by the intrusion. I must have been out of it, I wasn't able to sense him…or whoever it was at the side of the large building we were in.

Whoever it was, they had definitely read up on the 'How to look mysterious' handbook. For one, you couldn't see their face, despite looking directly into the cowl covering their head. Whatever it was, I couldn't make out anything distinguishing about the person. They were taller than me, I could tell at least that much. Whoever it was, they also wore a dark blue robe, and sometimes I saw it flutter, despite the fact there was no wind in this place. Their hands and feet were hidden by this robe, making it impossible for me to tell anything about them.

"And just who are you?" I asked whoever it was, staying rather wary of whomever it was. I was closer to Hokara and Lufia then that person, so I didn't have to worry about a hostage being taken suddenly. At least, that's what I believed.

"My name?" The person asked me, in a slightly garbled voice. It was impossible to determine if the person was even male or female! "Names…such petty things. Tell me; what is keeping me from lying to you about it, thus messing up everything about me, making my own existence a lie in your mind when you find out the truth?" The person asked me, as though they could pick apart my brain.

"Well," I said, a little taken aback by the question. "I don't suppose anything is." I said finally, a little ashamed I couldn't come up with a better answer than that. But, it was the truth: Absolutely nothing was stopping him from lying to me.

"Exactly young one." The person said with a slight mocking tone in his voice, presumably from the inexperience I seemed to be portraying. "Therefore, you shouldn't grow too attached to these things you deem 'names' because they are easily changed, and confused. So, you shouldn't have any need to know my name, just know that I exist." They said to me, giving a flourishing bow as they said it. The point of the bow, I had no idea, nor did I want to know.

"Right…" I said to them, a small frown on my face. I'll be honest, I thought that this person was one of the weirdest and dumbest people I have ever heard of, and for that matter, seen. "Anyways, weird guy, what exactly are you doing here, and what do you want?" I asked him, a small nagging thing digging at the back of my mind. Exactly what it was nagging about, I couldn't figure out.

However, I believe that I hit a nerve on the person in front of me. "Weird person?" they said, a slightly irritated sound entering the voice. "Why are you calling me a 'weird person'?" They asked me, the fold of their robes around their arms folding, and I could feel a glare coming out of that black cowl.

"Well, it couldn't be the fact you somehow managed to enter this room undetected, are dressed up in the weirdest outfit I have ever seen, and on top of that, you are acting as though you are filled with enough wisdom over the centuries to fill up entire library's. A weird person, if I have ever laid a pair of eyes on." I told him, chuckling slightly. In all honesty, I didn't really like this guy. But, most people could tell that by now.

"You know, insulting me in such a manner would spell death for most people." The person told me, anger apparent if it wasn't before, and when I say that, I mean I could feel the anger washing over me from the guy in small pulses. It ended abruptly of course, as though smoothed out by some sort of chisel. "However, I need your assistance, so I won't bother with that."

"And suppose I don't want to offer my assistance? What will you do then?" I asked whoever it was, growling slightly. That would be the proof I needed, that I was hanging out with Prelait too much. She growled pretty often, especially when I was being rather stubborn.

The person chuckled, a hollow chuckle, a slightly irritating chuckle. "It would be in your best interest. After all, I want you to slay those creatures sent after Konoha. I want to prove something, or to be more exact, confirm something. If you don't want to help me, that is fine by me. Just know that Konoha pays the price." They told me, a knowing smile probably flashing behind that black cowl. This was one of those times I considered ripping someone in half in order to take out the anger bubbling up inside of me.

"Out of curiosity," I said, growling even louder now. "If you knew I was going to do it anyways, why did you ask it of me?" I asked them, fury igniting inside of me.

"The same reason I wanted to see you." The person said, chuckling slightly. "I just wanted to piss you off." They said, giving a scary chuckle at that remark. When I say scary, I mean that the laugh sounded a little maniacal, as though the person was completely messed up in the head. Although, I'll admit, the person was doing a really good job at what they told me they wanted to do to me.

"And just exactly what is your goal in pissing me off?" I asked them, frustrated a little more at asking the question. I was getting nowhere fast with this person, and wasting my valuable time in going after the creatures that were launched a long time ago. Well, not long, but every second counts in this case.

"What everyone else desires in this world, even if they don't realize they want it." The person told me, taking a step forward. "Amusement." They whispered, stretching it out, and letting it slide across the ear, and then paused as though they were waiting for my reaction. When they saw that my face didn't change, they continued on. "Isn't everyone on this planet greedy? Power, Money, Entertainment, Strength, Intelligence, Common Sense, and Acceptance. These are things that every person wants, whether or not they admit it or not is their own problem. Even you aren't immune to these wants, despite having a few of them met. This is a greedy place." The person told me, in a confirmative tone, as though what they spoke was the truth, and nothing else could be.

"I'll admit it; it is true in my case at the very least." I told them, folding my arms. "But, it is human nature to be greedy." I told them, folding my arms. "In my opinion, it is slightly amazing to realize how far we have come, despite that. But then again 'Every act Humans do in nature, starts with an act to please themselves' and it would do you well to remember that fact." I told the man, folding my own arms. 'Kind of like the fact I would really love to rip off your arms and beat you with them.' I thought to myself.

They laughed, and it was starting to drive me mad. This person was annoying in general. "True, so true. So tell me then, why haven't humans died out yet?" They asked me, lifting an eyebrow. "After all, if that were true, humans would be doing some foolhardy things, and I'll admit some do. But the majority doesn't. Why is that, young one?" They asked me, and I could feel the question in his gaze, despite the person knowing the answer.

I thought about it for a little bit, before I could come up with a solid answer. At least, it was in my opinion. "They don't feel the need to gratify themselves as much as the other people do? They are content to watch them at the sidelines, and imagine it is them." I told whoever it was, feeling a little proud of myself. 'Wait…why should I be proud about answering this person's questions?'

"Nope. Not even close." The person said, and I could see the pitying smile on their face, despite the black cowl in the way. "Fear." They said simply, looking at me. "Fear and the need to survive are the only things keeping the human population from going extinct. If they didn't have these traits, they would do so many stupid things that their species would die out in a matter of years. I'll admit, it would be a long process, but it would be an extravagant thing to watch, wouldn't you agree?" They asked me, tilting their head to the side as though expecting me to answer the question in less than a second.

"Yes." I said without even thinking. Then I shook my head violently, and snarled heavily. "I mean NO! Why then heck would I want to watch my own race die out for?!" I asked them, clenching my fist, and thinking about running over, and smashing his fist into the never ending abyss for a face.

The person chuckled again. "Well, aren't we at a dilemma? Part of you wants to see what would happen, and the other half thinks it is wrong. Tell me though, exactly what part of you wants to see which? I'll give you a hint, you have four things influencing your decision, instead of the normal two that people have. Regular people have to deal with what they believe are good and evil. You on the other hand, you deal with these four influences: What you believe to be good and evil, the demonic energy pulsing through your veins, the after taste that will always linger in you even if that demon leaves. And, you have to deal with the Blood Raider part of your blood."

I looked at her, frowning deeply. "Considering that I said yes, almost without thinking," I said, folding my arms in an admission of guilt. "I'm guessing that my good side doesn't want to see it happen." I said, and then released my arms, glaring at the person. "But my demonic blood, the evil part of me, and the Blood Raider want to see destruction of untold amounts, just to sate themselves on the slaughter of mankind." I said, frowning.

"Well, you figured it out. In reality, the majority of you want to see such a thing, despite the fact that you loathe to admit it." They told me, and I could imagine the grin spreading across their face. "So then, what exactly are you going to do?" They asked me, flourishing a little, but other than that, doing absolutely nothing.

"Well, I suppose it would be a moot point right now, considering that humans are going to retain their fear, and the need to survive, no matter what. It is rather hard to get rid of such a feeling after all." I told the person, confident in that little fact. 'After all, how do you get rid of an inborn instinct?"

"I'll admit, it would be hard to do such a thing. But, that is why I have a guinea pig." They told me, and I could feel the smirk lighting their face, making me want to punch them even harder.

"If you think I will be your test subject, then you have another thing coming." I told them, growling out, assuming a defensive stance. My left leg forward, along with my left hand, my right leg and hand pulled pack, as I stared menacingly at the person in front of me. "Bring it on."

They laughed….although I failed to see what was so funny this time. "I'm smarter than that, fighting a Blood Raider when you are already messed up, I don't have a death wish you know." They told me, guffawing a little more. "No, no, seriously, you are not the test subject. I have already planted it in someone you know." They told me, amused. "The person will no longer have fear, but at the same time, the need to survive has also been erased. I can't wait to see what happens." They told me. Chuckling.

"I'm so close to coming over there, and blasting you across the place." I told them, a dark growl going through my body. "However, there is one piece of information I would like to take from you, before I decide to fight you. Exactly…what is a Blood Raider? People keep calling me it, but I have no lore on the subject, and I would love to be enlightened." I said to them, folding my arms in order to restrain myself.

The person looked slightly surprised. "You don't know what a Blood Raider is, despite being in a village that used to be feared because they existed? Well then, guess you needed to study your history a little more." They told me chuckling lightly. "But, since it wouldn't be fair for the creation to not know what he was, I'll enlighten you, as you put it. Now then…where to start." They said, putting one of their sleeves inside of the cowl of their hood. "Alright, let us start in the beginning. After all, there is no point in me telling you exactly what you are capable of, if you don't know the history. It started a long time ago…

_Back in the day, when villages were being created and established. Everyone was trying to find some sort of weapon to combat each other, one that would give them the upper hand in any time of war, and considering how barbaric people were back then, war was imminent, almost every day for any village. If you weren't involved in a war already, of course. But, the point it, it was a time of great bloodshed, and that kept the human population down, let me tell you!_

_But, I need to stop digressing; doing so must only be a means to anger you at this point when your time is so pressed. Anyway, each village had something they were known for. Such as the Hidden Village of the Mist was known for having the best of the best swordsmen and the Hidden Village of the Sand had a nearly unbreakable wall to get through to get to their village. So on and so forth, and every village had something along these lines. Now then, when you think of Konoha, what do you think they had? Sharingan? Byakugan? No, those were some impressive abilities to be sure, but these became nothing more than things to be wary of, once someone had confirmed the existence of a Konoha Blood Raider on the field. They were like finding out that the Mist had let loose one or two of their swordsmen upon their foes._

_I'll admit, when the specialty of each village clashed, it was rumored to have been a battle to end all battles, no matter what it was like. Power against power clashed, and both were nearly invincible in their own rights. As for who won, it is impossible to judge them against each other, considering how different their abilities were, it was impossible to determine exactly who would win if they met on the field. But, I must be boring you with such talk, so I'll move on._

_Konoha Blood Raider's were feared, plain and simple. They had one unique Blood ability, not known to many ninja: Their blood ability had effect over their entire body, not something like their eyes, or any certain body part. Their whole body was part of their ability. Down to their nails on their fingertips. No body part was an exception. There was only one way to kill a Konoha Blood Raider: You had to kill him before you figured out he was a Blood Raider._

_Sounds strange? I know it does, but if you knew what they were capable of, you would feel the exact same way. You see, ninja don't initially go for a killing blow. It is nice, but if they can grievously wound their opponent, and take back a prisoner in a time of war, then they might be able to get a little bit of information out of them before they finally end their lives._

_However, rule number one when fighting one of these warriors: Don't wound them, not a single drop of blood. You kill them. This was because of their most famous ability: The more pain they are in, the more blood they have lost, the stronger and faster they have become. Sounds a little strange? Well, it is a truth. The more pain a Blood Raider was in, the more powerful of a warrior they become. It was known as 'Way of the flesh and bones.'_

_Haven't you wondered why when you don't seem to grow weaker when you are wounded? That would be why. You don't become weaker, you become stronger in fact. So, fighting against you, people would be wise to finish you off quickly. But, back to the story. Once a Blood Raider was wounded, they would become a machine of pure slaughter. Entire battalions of ninja can fall to one wounded Blood Raider, and it happened quite often, each battalion wounding the Blood Raider a little more, and making him more powerful, faster, and stronger. Until they hit what was known as 'The Point of Omnipotency.'_

_It was called this, because it was as if the Blood Raider could read the minds of his opponent, so great was his reaction speed, and his strength! They could life entire buildings at this point! They were invincible, not one Blood Raider had ever died in this state of being. Not one. It was said they were impossible to kill once they hit this point, they could be a baby, and if got to that state, it was rumored the baby would be able to take on ANBU members with nothing more than their fists. Whether or not this is true or not, no one is able to prove. After all, few people have the nerve to wound a baby that much. However, like all abilities, each power came at a price._

_You see, hitting the 'Point of Omnipotency' was certain death of a Blood Raider. Not one Blood Raider, had ever lived five minutes past the battle ending. They would finish the battle, even if they hit the point in the beginning of the battle, and it lasted three hours. Personally, I think it was adrenaline that kept them going. But, once that ended, the Blood Raider would die. You pay a high price to be unbeatable, after all._

_However, that is but one power of the Blood Raider, the most feared that is true, but that is only a fraction of why they are feared. The other reason would be the ability known as 'The Way of the Blood' and it is obvious why they named it that. You see, when a Blood Raider gets the blood of another person into their bloodstream, they copy that person. As you could tell by drinking that one Demon's blood._

_Doing that gave you a massive power surge. However, you only take a small fraction, about one tenth, or ten percent, of that person's strength and add it to your own. No, the real reason it is feared is because it gives the Blood Raider access to ALL of the abilities the person's blood had written on it. Every Jutsu, every Bloodline, every trick, every trap, nothing was spared._

_But once again, this power came at another high price. First off, those powers left after a while, but they would disappear at random, so it impossible to confirm an average time on when the powers will disappear. So, some found their knowledge disappearing in the middle of performing another move, one they didn't originally know. That is one bad part, the possibility to forget something in the middle of using it. Also, the next part about that ability is even worse. You get nightmares._

_Well, we can't exactly call them nightmares. You see, you will witness the worst part of that person's life, and it will be forever burned into your memory. It is impossible to forget, so a Blood Raider rarely uses their 'Way of the Blood' ability. There is also a rumor that they can use this ability to affect the past, but since it already happened, they were destined to do so. It is a bit confusing to explain that part, especially since that ability has never been confirmed by a Blood Raider, so we can only wonder._

_They had one final ability. It was the reason that Blood Raiders were excellent at torturing people. It was known as 'Way of the Wounded.' And it was, by far, the most feared of their abilities. It was so horrifying, that it was said it would be better to commit suicide than to be caught by a Konoha ninja. Because they would probably use the 'Way of the Wounded' on you, and then you would talk. It has never failed before._

_You see, am Blood Raider would put his palm on your forehead, and then a slight tingling sensation would come over you. This would be them getting a feel for your body. Women of course, felt violated when a male Blood Raider did this to them, but that was there problem, wasn't it? Anyway, a Blood Raider felt their body, feeling every scar, every memory of the skin, looking for wounds. Even the slightest wound of scraping your knee, to feeling a kunai slash through your abdomen, and you barely surviving. A Blood Raider would find them all._

_Then, one by one, he made you relive those wounds. The feel of steel ripping your flesh open, the feel of smashing your head against a pole because you forgot to look, they would open all of those wounds up. At once. Can you imagine that? Feeling ever pain you have ever experience, and then having all of it unleashed upon you at once? Not even the toughest of people could stand tall through that. The worst part? You only felt the pain._

_It was thought that if they did that on you, and your wounds actually opened, that you would die in a matter of seconds. For many, that would have been true. But, all they do is make your flesh remember the pain. However, they couldn't pull this off on the battlefield of course, it took too much time to initiate, and the person you were using it on would probably kill you out of fear. It was a known ability after all._

_However, it was thought that they died out. Despite coming from Konoha, it was really hard for them to find someone to reproduce with. You see, Konoha resident feared them as well. A rumor had spread that when you had sex with a Blood Raider, they accidentally use 'Way of the Flesh' on you. This rumor was false of course, probably started by a resident of a warring village in hopes to cut that bloodline out. It was false of course, but it had the desired effect. They couldn't even have casual sex with anyone, so great was the fear. So, they slowly started to die out, on the battlefield, and some even managed to die of old age._

_But, there were less and less of them. Konoha couldn't rely on them to inspire fear in other villages anymore. They had to rely on the Byakugan, and the Sharingan. Fearsome abilities, to be sure, even today, people grudgingly keep their distance from Konoha because of this. However, Blood Raiders used to be Konohas main fear factor to the rest of the world. But, there are basically no Blood Raiders left. You see Naruto, you are the last Blood Raider of Konoha. In fact, the last one in existence._

"And, that would be it." The person told me, bowing slightly. "You are more precious than gold in fact, had the rest of Konoha known exactly what you were. Despite having a demon sealed inside of you, they wouldn't have even considered hurting you. The Blood Raider line is rumored to be the greatest loss of Konoha, and some adults still whisper about the loss. But, that can't be helped about now, can it?" They told me, a little more of a statement than a question.

"I see." I told him, frowning. I ha pulled off a few of those moves, so I could believe him. After all, the guy had no reason to lie to me. Still, it was hard for me to be conceited enough to believe I was worth more than gold in the eyes of Konoha. Mainly because of what they had done to me to be sure, and of course, I didn't see how anyone could value such an ability, even if it was very powerful. Then again, people craved power, so maybe there was a small understanding in that matter. Then I looked at the person in front of me. "Exactly…how do you know that much about Blood Raiders? I know they were feared…ok, I don't know, but you told me so, so I am going off of that. But, when they died out, it seems to me like it should be a past that should be stamped out. Who wants to teach their children about nightmares anyway?"

The person chuckled. "Nursery Rhyme." He told me simply. "Children are taught these rhymes as a way of accepting nightmares, but they don't even realize what they are singing about. _I went out into the woods, and took a peek around a tree. Alas, but what do I see? A man drenched in blood looking at me, wounds leaving him immobile. He is an enemy, plain as plain can be. I chuckle and snort, as I go to consort. He glares at me, and I just laugh. Then the pain slaps me, him moving with such speed. I am bound and gagged, before I can even be ragged. Then, he drains my blood as some vampire, It feels like I am about to be sired. Then his palm to my head, the feeling where I wish I was dead. This enemy of mine never to be underestimated." _ Whoever it was sang to me, in a terrible voice to be sure, but I was slightly white. I remember singing that silently to myself when I was most depressed. I learned it long ago, hearing other children sing it.

"I…I see…" I say to him, my voice shaking slightly. I didn't know that I was singing about myself when I was letting that small verse loose. 'What other rhymes have I sung about that have some deeper meaning?' I asked myself, thinking of the others I have sang silently to myself, trying to either make it through the day or sleep.

"Well now, I suppose that is everything you require the need to know. So, I'll make my leave now. I'll be watching of course, but that is something you already knew. I'll see you later, 'Blood Raider Naruto'." They said to me, the shadows behind whoever it was seemed to come alive, and then they enveloped the person, and then vanished suddenly, as though they had never existed, the person disappearing with them.

I let out a small growl, but I know full well I couldn't do anything anymore. I let go of my anger as best as I could, and then walked over, picking up Hokara and Lufia. I slung both of them over my shoulders, happy about the fact that I was more of a strong person than anything else. If I relied on speed, I probably would have had a hard time carrying both of them. Especially Lufia, she wasn't the lightest person around. It might be the fur though. Sighing, I walked past all the corpses, oozing the different colors of blood, watching them all mix together, and slowly forming an expanding pool of black blood. I shuddered slightly, the black blood reminding me of the blood of those creatures. The ones I had to hunt down.

Sighing, I let that thought go; after all, it wasn't something that I needed to worry about yet, until I figured out exactly what was wrong with everyone else in my group. Let me rephrase that, everything that was physically wrong with them. I'm not even going to bother trying to figure out what is wrong with them mentally. After all I don't think I have the mental capacity to understand that. But, who knows, maybe when I became wiser, that would be a long times away of course, I would give it a shot. Until then though, forget it, they can figure themselves out and tell me about it.

The corridors I walked down were slashed apart, the containers completely annihilated, and I found the remains of both demons and humans scattered about. I didn't know which had more though; there weren't enough of a single body part to determine that, and with demons, who knew if they had multiple body parts of things humans only had one of. It wasn't something I cared to figure out. I even noticed that some bodies were hanging from the ceiling. 'What kind of war happened here?' I thought to myself, frowning as I did so. 'It wasn't pretty, but I think I know who won. There are some demons here I see, and I know there are far more than this.' I thought, continuing my walk, until I managed to walk out of the corridor.

I froze as I stepped outside. The stands were bloody, slashed up, humans were everywhere. They didn't bring weapons; they weren't expecting a demon surge. The place was clawed up; slashes and gashes were all over the place. Demon corpses were here and there, and a lot of them were in the center of the arena. However, that wasn't what made me freeze where I stood.

Karell was standing up, bloodied corpses all around him. His blade was especially dirty, and he appeared to be in perfectly good health. There was blood all over him though, which was kind of rare. He usually moved too quickly to let the blood touch him. He had one thing about him though, that made me freeze in place. The ground around his was ripped up, as though a blade had passed through it. He normally wouldn't have the arm strength to cleave through stone as viciously as it has been cut. Normally. A massive red swirl was erupting from the ground around him, as he looked at his blade, and then sheathed it. Then he looked over at me, and I stared into a pair of Crimson red eyes. Then his eyes turned tot heir normal color, and then a massive energy left him, and then I felt the slight shock of another being entering me.

'Hey kit! Did you miss me?' I heard Prelait ask, as I felt her soul fill me up, and great waves of relief entered me.

'Prelait, if I may ask, what exactly happened out here?' I asked her, confused by this sudden turn of events. I wasn't used to things going on without me.

'Well, a massive surge of demons broke through that gate, just after I managed to wake that guy up.' She thought, indicating Karell. 'But, he wasn't exactly in prime fighting condition, so…I sort of gave him a power boost. I thought it was a decent one, until I felt you unleash that massive power. Whatever happened back there?'

'I made a deal with the devil.' I told her simply, not telling her anymore. She knew not to pursue it as well, by the tone of voice I had told her in.

"Naruto, how's it going?" Karell asked me, slumping over, breathing heavily. "Let me tell you, that woman is one Hell of a rush." He said, chuckling as he said that.

'Insert dirty joke here.' I thought to myself, and receiving a rather blistering yell from Prelait. 'I was kidding, calm down.' I thought to her, rolling my eyes slightly. "Well, that is nice and all, but we kind of have a problem." I told him, folding my arms, looking at him.

"I'll say, you aren't holding me in comfortable position." I heard someone tell me, and looked at Lufia, who was glaring at me lightly. "Can you let me down?" She asked me, before a mischievous look entered her eyes. "Although…if you want to hold me, I can think of a better way you can do so."

I dropped her, and she flipped herself, landing on her feet. She had a mock pout on her face. "Aw master, why did you go and do that? Afraid of a little feminine touch?" She asked me, the mischievous look remaining in her eyes.

"Lufia, I'm tempted to beat you." I told her in a flat voice, setting Hokara down near us, and then propping her up. She didn't look too comfortable, but it was the best I could manage.

Lufia laughed at me, and I knew I wouldn't like what she said next. "Only if you are wearing a sexy outfit while doing it." She said, in a slightly sultry voice.

'Prelait, do demon women ever show some modesty about the sexual subject?' I asked her, frowning to myself as I asked her. Lufia seemed to enjoy teasing me though, more than she did at the beginning of this little…adventure, quest, whatever it is going to be called now.

'Nope. Heck, she IS being modest about it.' Prelait though to me. 'Not being modest, she would say exactly what she had in mind for you, which could involve any range of things. Some of which, I don't know how the younger generation came up with, but it intrigues me.'

'Well…Thanks I suppose.' I thought, resisting the blush starting to creep up on my cheeks. "Lufia…just…I don't know."

"Well, nice to see everyone is back to normal." Karell said, shrugging his shoulders. "Anyways, you were telling me about a problem we were having?"

"I'll say there's a problem, my neck hurts." Hokara said, standing up, just waking up, and rubbing her neck as she looked us over. "What?" She asked, as we stared at her.

"Naruto…" Karell said, his eyes widened compared to their usual size. "Did she just sound normal as she talked?"

"Yes…I do believe that she did." I told him, my own face probably showing amazement. I wasn't used to listening to her talk like that, so I'll admit my own mind was side tracked to what I was going to say.

Hokara glared slightly at us, unhappily I might add. However, she didn't say anything to us, apparently thinking about what she said. However, Karell did speak up. "Come to think of it, wasn't she sitting with that man, her father?" He asked, lifting an eyebrow as he looked at her.

"Yes…she was." I said, before looking at her. "I'll admit she did help us, but it was strange. The man asked her if I knew her name, and when she nodded to confirm it, he told her he understood. And then, we all fought." Then I turned to Hokara, a question in my eyes. "Why did you help us fight your father?"

Hokara let out a sigh, before turning to me. "Simple. You know my name. Telling someone your real name is a great significance in this place, because it means you trust whoever you told it to. More than even the people who named you. So, I was honor-bound to help you fight my father, as one of the people I considered my friends." She told us, shrugging slightly as she did so.

"So, that's your way of saying you want to get into his pants." Lufia said, making me cough, Hokara splutter, and Karell just laughed. Then both Hokara and I glared at her, and she only shrugged. "What? Did I say something wrong?"

"Something like that." I muttered darkly, before looking at Karell. "Anyways, we have a major problem."

"I'll say, People keep interrupting you." Karell told me, chuckling a bit at hi sown joke. I was not very amused by this, of course.

"Will you people just shut up and listen for five seconds?!" I roared out, getting fed up with their attitude. "Some weird demons, or what seem like the remains of humans, are converging on my home village, and we have a couple weeks to get back, and we are moving out immediately! If you don't want to follow, that is fine by me, but I'm getting out of here now!"

The other three, just stared at him. Lufia was the first to speak up, a cat-like grin on her face. "I am bound to follow you, remember? I'm going. Not to mention, messing with you is fun master." She told me, chuckling lightly.

"Well, I'm not through with you yet." Karell said, gripping his katana's sheathe. "I still have to find out the extremes of your powers before I give up following you." He said, chucking as he did so.

Then, we all looked at Hokara, who just sighed. "The only thing left to me are razed living quarters. So, I will be accompanying you for now."

"Well, I guess that means we need to move." I said, looking in the distance Konoha was in. 'I just hope I can get there in time.' I thought to myself, before we began to move. Our Destination: Konoha.

General Badaxe- And that ends this. Sorry about it being late I was caught up in schoolwork. Finished it up over winter break. So, consider this my Christmas gift to all of you reading it. Also, if one person says its happy holidays, you can go screw yourself. It's Christmas, and no atheist jerk is going to tell me otherwise. That includes all the other religions out there.


	13. Chapter 13

General Badaxe- Well, it certainly has been a while since I updated this fiction. A year or two if I remember correctly. I guess that's a little long, just maybe. Honestly, I have no good reason it has been so long. Nothing I can say or do can honestly justify why it has been so long in my opinion. I grew lazy and didn't update, and for everyone who loved and enjoyed reading this fic, I do apologize. I hope you don't mind that it has been this long, and for those that have waited, you have my thanks. I guess in the end, I was wrong. Every author needs some channel of support, or they lose the motivation to write. Maybe I fell into that by lieing to myself by saying I didn't need reviews. I guess in the end, it is those Reviews that are giving me the strength and energy to write this chapter. It is the reviews from "Caged Fox" that are giving me the energy to write this honestly. I didn't check to see if people were reviewing and commenting on this one, I'm just guessing that there are some people who want to see it continue. And even if I'm wrong, I'm guessing that this fiction will still gain popularity again. Not as much as others because I'm going in a different direction with it than most, but I'm going to see some. It never fails. Though I will not guarantee and update anytime soon after this. I'll be writing, I'll admit that. But the problem is that I'm a Soldier in Afghanistan right now, and we don't have ready access to the internet. I wish we did, but I'm working with what I have. And to everyone else, I apologize if this chapter is not as good as others. I haven't written in so long, and my ideas for this story are stale at best. I have re-read what happened, the whole story. I'll do my best, but it may be a small bit before I get back into the swing of things. Thank you for your understanding.

We were moving, as quickly as we could. It had been a week since we had left Fringekle, and we were not that far from Konoha. We were breaking Camp, though all of us were Badasses, we all needed to rest. Alright, maybe the thought of us all being badasses was a little bit of an exaggeration. We had a demon container, who was also a legendary Blood Raider. We had a Cat-Demon with us, who was an expert Martial Artist. We had a Bounty Hunter who was so fast he could easily disappear from sight. And we had a Woman who could materialize a lethal energy and control it with her will. Alright…we are really a bunch of rejects honestly. Especially since our abilities were way cooler than our actual personalities…

"Hey Naruto, I think we should go Wombat hunting." I heard Karell call over to me.

Case and point. "Karell, I'm not even going to ask what brought that about. I'm only going to tell you that the answer is no, and if you know what is good for you, you will not ask me again." I told him with a bit of a growl. I do mean a literal growl, I found that they came easily to me.

'Go figure kit, You have a demon fox inside of you. Who would have thought you could growl?' I heard Prelait say from inside of me. Oh yeah, I had forgotten about our resident nine-tailed Fox demoness, who was capable of destroying whole villages, feared by thousands, upon thousands as being an Avatar of destruction. Once again, her powers were misleading to her personality. Or they didn't fit, in my own personal opinion.

'Thanks for reminding me. I may have forgotten if you didn't.' I thought to her sarcastically.

'My pleasure Kit!' She thought once again in that rather peppy tone of voice of hers. It got annoying rather fast.

It made me wonder how she could be feared throughout the demon world, well, human world. And part of the demon world. Then I felt a soft hand press against my shoulder, and I leaned back into it. It was rather comforting, and in these times where I did nothing but worry and force myself forward, it was needed. "Well, thank you Lufia." I said, recognizing her touch. It was a little strange, in this past week, she seemed to have grown closer to me. A lot closer. Maybe it was because I was constantly stressing, and she was always trying to reduce it.

"It's my pleasure Master." She said to me, her tail sliding along my leg a little affectionately. It was still odd for me to see someone like that. She seemed so happy to be serving me. It's hard for me to imagine someone being happy in servitude…then again she was a demon. And to top it all off, she had lost to me in a fight. Though it was in question for me honestly. She had displayed some rather powerful abilities when I had last seen her fight. I would ask her about it later. But until then, I was content like this. And honestly, to a small degree, I didn't want to lose her as a slave. At some point though, she would probably want or need freedom. I don't know much about them, but Cat's did not enjoy being caged in any way. No animal did. So I expected it to happen at some point.

"Well, our presence here needs to dissipate, and we need to make progress while there is still illumination to grant us a proper path." I heard Hokara say. She was opening up slightly. At least, everyone in the group knew her name. Karell and her kept fighting, and honestly, I couldn't decide if it was cute, or annoying anymore. One day though, I swear one is going to push the other too far. I was hoping I was there as well, so that I could put an end to it before any extreme damage is inflicted.

"I know. I know." I said, grabbing Lufia's hand, and pulling it off my shoulder. She have a small sigh of disappointment, before her tail uncurled and went behind her again. "We are almost there everyone. We may also end up running into those creatures again. Whatever they were. Or are. So be a little sharp." I said to them. To a degree, I wonder when I became the unofficial leader of this group. It just seemed so natural at this point. They all just nodded in agreement, and then we were off.

We kept a rather fast pace…we had to. We needed to catch up to those things. I needed to at least warn Konoha, well they probably already knew, but they needed to be warned exactly how dangerous these creatures were. I wasn't sure they would listen to me. I figured that the Hokage would listen to me, and as long as he would listen, then I figured that everyone else would have to obey him. Whether or not they liked it.

"Say Naruto," Karell said, and part of me wondered if he was going to ask an honest question. "Just how close are we to your village? I mean you say we are close, but do you have an distance? After all, I want to guess how close we are to those creatures. You said that it would be about two weeks…but if that was the case, when should we run into them? And more importantly…what if they are closer than you think?" He asked me, a slight concern in his voice.

I couldn't argue with the guy. He had a point. But to be honest, I didn't have an exact distance. I could guess, but that was it. "Well, I'm not one hundred percent accurate with this, but I would say about twenty thousand meters from this spot." I said to him, as we continued to move. At the rate we were traveling, we would make it to Konoha before the day was over. This was a good thing in my opinion.

"Alright…then we should come upon these creatures at any time. I don't know how fast they travel, or just what they are capable of. But that is my guess." He said finally, shaking his head a little. He didn't know. Then again, I didn't fully know what these things were capable of. I have only the smallest experience with them. And honestly, even through that, I know about as much as everyone out there.

I took a quick peek back, and noticed Lufia's face had lost a little color. I know I was stressing, but I never really thought about how hard this must be on her. She knows what these creatures are and what they do, and yet through it all, she is coming with us. All because of me. Maybe her comforting me, in a way, is also to comfort herself. I would talk to her about it later. If there was a later after we fought those creatures. Through it all, I was going to be a strong person. I had to be. These three depended on me to a degree.

"Alright. Well, hopefully the time I found out is true. But to a degree, I imagine that they could be closer. The real question is of course, how much closer are they?" I asked, no one in particular. Everyone had the common decency not to try and answer it. It made me feel better. Then again, it was the question all of us were asking ourselves.

"I just hope that you don't lose anyone important to you." Karell said in a soft voice. Even he knew enough not to try my patience right now. That, or they were all feeling some sense of fear or dread.

"Thank you." I said to him in a short breath. There wasn't anything else that needed to be said. At least not in my opinion. And with those Last words from me, we all traveled in silence.

'Kit, I'm bored.' Prelait thought to me. Well, most of us traveled in silence. I was unlucky.

'Prelait, what do you want from me? I'm in a rather sour mood, especially since my village is going to be under attack rather shortly. Most people would be stressing.' I thought to her as we kept moving. I didn't know what else to tell her. But after I said that, she didn't say another word to me. My mind must have been distraught if she wasn't going to say anything back to me.

Though I began to wonder…just where were these creatures? I would be happy if we encountered one, because it probably meant that the others weren't that far ahead. But another thought occurred to me then. Who's to say all of them went towards Konoha? They didn't seem intelligent, so the thought of all of them gathering at the same point was a little out there. Did that mean that more than Konoha was in danger? If that was the case, this whole place would be in danger. I didn't like that, but it was a second thought to me right now. Konoha was my main concern.

As we moved closer, I noticed, and I'm sure my companions did as well, that there were broken containers. I knew and so did Hokara and Lufia, they were the same ones that held the creatures. They had started this close? But…it wouldn't take them two weeks to get to the village, even walking at a slow pace. I knew that, and panic was rising in me. I quickened my pace, I didn't care if the others did or not. My village was in danger, and I could not, would not let these creatures destroy it.

I listened, and the others quickened their pace to match my own, as they kept up with me. By the way they didn't complain, I was guessing that they agreed with me. Or didn't want to upset me, one of the two. We would get to Konoha…but I already wondered if it was going to be too late. I couldn't le thoughts like that plague my mind…not right now.

I don't know how long we travelled…but in the End, Konoha came in sight. We were slightly tired though. We were moving rather quickly after all, and it had taken a lot out of us. But I didn't like what I saw. The gates were broken…and there was smoke rising from the inside. I was able to hear some screams, and a wretched smell. I saw small splotches of black along the ground and walls…and more importantly. I saw some white bodies along the ground. We had come a little late…but it wasn't too late. There were still people fighting.

"Lufia, Throw me to the village." I told her, my voice slightly harsh. "You don't have to follow me if you don't want to." I said to her. I'm not sure she was ready mentally for these creatures. So I wasn't going to drag her into my fight.

She didn't say a word, whether she was in contemplation or not, I didn't know. But suddenly I felt her grip on my arm, "Stay Alive Master." She said to me softly, Before twisting her whole body, dragging my body with her. And then I felt myself become weightless, As I took to the air, and then with a rather large force, I was flying forward, Konoha rapidly coming closer to me…but she had thrown me at an odd angle. And with a lot more force than I had expected. I was sailing over the Konoha gates for crying out loud!

As I was sailing over, I looked down, and saw that the creatures were everywhere. Some of them were former Konoha ninjas. I never realized it before…one of their scarier abilities was that whoever they killed ended up turning into one of them, and fighting for them. I guess I couldn't let them kill me…but that should be easy. Especially since I knew enough to destroy the head…or was it the brain? Well, one of those two things was the thing that kept them alive. As for any other vital organ…I wasn't sure they could feel pain. And none of the other vital organs worked, so attacking them was pointless.

While I was flying through the air, I noticed that a few people looked up and pointed at me a little quickly, before they resumed their flight away from those creatures. I didn't know what rumors would spread from me returning, but right now, I couldn't worry about it. Though I had to work fast, If I was too slow, then more people would die. I realized I would have to do something that would probably make the village hate me more. Well, I didn't think being an outcast would be the worst thing in the world to happen to me. But I guess in the end that there was only one way for me to find out. 'Prelait. Give me a power boost.' I thought to her, as I grabbed into a building edge, and used it to stabilize my flight. Then I felt power begin to course through me.

'Kit, how many tails do you want?' She asked me, knowing as well as I did what this would do to me. Any chance I had at settling down here would be gone.

'I want two.' I thought to her. Two should be more than enough for this trash. And it would be far more than enough to make the village hate me even more.

'As you wish, my dear Kit.' She thought to me, before I felt her true power surge through my body, as a sickly and bloody red energy began to pour out around my body. I didn't look behind me, I knew what was there. The crimson energy around me had taken shape behind me in the form of two bloody fox tails. In the glass, I saw my face, and honestly, it scared me a little. My whiskers were thicker, and a little savage looking. My eyes were no longer a clean cerulean blue, but a deadly and vicious looking blood red, and my fangs were more apparent and sharper looking. I was easily more demonic looking.

But I looked away…one of those creatures was walking toward me. Not afraid at all by the look of things. I gave it a scowl, before one of my tails lurched around me, and impaled the creature through the skull, making it explode, before I saw black blood burst from that corpse, and it fell to the ground without moving. I gave a scowl…I had a lot more work ahead of me.

I burst forward, leaving behind me a small indent of my feet as I bolted forward, and started searching. These creatures were easy, thank goodness, especially in my current form. I didn't even need to use my chakra except in a tail to stab one of the creatures. This made it so much easier, and as such, It made me feel a little more cocky. Grinning lightly, I became a fountain of black blood. It was so easy to find one of these creatures and kill them. Their largest weapon was fear it seemed, and once you got rid of that, they became so much easier.

But then again, even though I knew I was helping them, the people of the village were running from me too. I remember clearly me killing about four of those creatures who had cornered a few of the citizens…and the citizens didn't look or feel like they were any safer. I took one look at them, shaking my head lightly. **"Run you fools."** I told them, my voice deep and richer than it should have been. Before I ran away from them, going for more of these pale creatures. I was seeing more and more of their corpses though, it seemed like they had figured out the weakness of the creatures. Casualties would be less. Especially since these creatures were so slow that a ninja would have no problem fighting them. I gave a small sigh of relief…this wouldn't end in disaster.

Then I heard a strange sound…as though someone's flesh had exploded. And I didn't mean someone had caused an explosion. As though someone or something had broken away from some flesh. I Didn't wait, I started to speed up and go in that direction. I didn't have time to wait, especially when I started to hear some screams in that direction…and the sound of flesh being torn apart. Or...cut? It sounded like it was being torn or cut, and I couldn't make out which one it was.

I took to the buildings, streaming across the roofs, I was getting closer, and while the screams didn't stop, in fact it sounded a little familiar, the sounds of tearing and cut flesh seemed to stop. That was good, but from the sounds of things, this creature was not a normal thing…a demon maybe? A scary thought, especially since I was here, who knew how it would be interpreted. As I bound over the last roof…two figures out in the open came into view. Along with, I noticed, a few people huddled behind the human with Pink Hair…Sakura. She had a few cuts along her body, and she was trying to hold it together, and across from her…it seemed to be one of those pale creatures. Except altered.

It had lean legs, almost bony. Except I also saw some powerful muscles there. Its arms were longer as well, as though something had stretched them. There was missing…everything as well. The arms at some points split into two paths, leaving a hole in the center of them, before converging together again, and at the end of those arms, were some razor sharp claws, ones that had cut into Sakura. The ground. The buildings. I looked around, and saw a few bodies. They were sliced to ribbons, probably by this creature. I also noted that there were a few teeth missing from this creature…and it didn't seem to want to devour the people like those standard things were. It was easily more powerful, and it seemed to be able to hold its own against ninja…I did not like that fact. I was hoping this was the only alteration…or else things could get ugly quickly. Or if this wasn't the only alteration, that this was the stronger one. Heaven help me if this was the weaker one.

I slammed into the ground, in front of Sakura, and in front of the creature. This thing seemed to display a little more emotion though, as it seemed surprised that I was there. And that I was interfering. "N-Naruto?" I heard Sakura say in a slightly scared voice. Oh yeah, I wasn't natural looking right then and there.

"**Get those people out of here Sakura. I'll deal with this creature." **I said to her, opening my stance up, as my claws extended slightly. I don't know what her response was, the creature suddenly lunged at me, and honestly it was moving quickly. To a normal person. I however saw it moving as slow as a regular sprinter, compared to Karell. Then I moved, the ground exploding around me in a shower of dirt and debris, in front of the creature before it could so much as blink…if this creature could blink in the first place.

I rammed my fist into its stomach, as it flew backwards and crashed into the building. Two tails of power were far more than enough for anything in this village it seemed. Then I used my tail to whip around and grab it, and lift it high into the air. I stared at it…as it attempted to slash my tail, only to have its claw singed off, as though it had just stuck the thing in some sort of molten vat. It let out a series of hisses, before my other tail whipped around, impaling it through the skull, as a fountain of blood burst from it, black blood to be exact. Then I dropped it, letting it fall with a sickening thud against the ground.

I didn't know how many of those creatures there were, but with luck not a lot. The stronger ninjas could fight them, but the weaker ones wouldn't last long. As I looked behind me, I noticed that they were gone. At least they were smart enough to run. I wondered how everyone else was doing…and then I felt a strong presence coming towards me. It was not one I recognized…in fact, it felt a little dark and evil. Something that felt like it shouldn't exist was coming towards me.

Then I saw it…and I was frightened. It seemed to be gliding along the roof tops…even more fluently than a ninja. It had no eyes…or something. Across what I thought would be eyes, was a long, silver and purple like cloth. But instead of it being a cloth, it seemed to be attached to the creature. It's head had three slick long black tendrils breaking from it, and they moved a little like hair, except that once in a while I saw them twitch against the wind, as though they also had a mind if their own. For all I knew, they might. In which case, things were not going well for me. It was holding a long purple rod, which seemed to be made of some sort of wood….but stronger. And at the same time, at the end of the rods, it twisted around itself into what looked like a thick cudgel, except it was like that on both sides. It's arms and legs were well muscled, and despite that, it moved with as much grace as Lufia did. Despite all this, it's skin was pale, and its teeth were razor sharp. And black. I didn't like where this was going.

It seemed to…see me would be the only way I could describe it. Before it leaped from the building, making the roof cave in before it landed in front of me. It didn't waste any time, before it dropped to a knee, and swung that staff at me, at my legs to be more specific I jumped backwards out of the range of the thing, and entered a defensive stance. I glared at the thing, but I also knew that I had a hard time keeping up with it at two tails of power. This could get rather ugly. Hopefully not as ugly as this thing is though, I'm not sure I was ready for that.

"So…you're the pest that entered the village and weaned our forces." The thing said, with a voice that seemed like it was slicked with oil, and crawling across dead leaves, making a rather annoying crinkling sound…but at the same time, it was intimidating. It felt a little like I was facing someone or something that was both living and dead, and knew the pain and agony of both. "How quaint. But I'm afraid I need to stop you here. My master would be displeased if you managed to interrupt our invasion."

These things had a master? Well, it would help explain why we never caught any of these creatures wandering. And it would seem that the higher up you went, the stronger and smarter that these things became. And it also seemed like there was at least one or two creatures stronger than this one. I just hoped that they didn't attack, I would easily need a third tail. And if worse came to worse, I would need a fourth. God Forbid I need anymore. **"You think you can stop me?" **I asked it in my demonic voice, and I saw it give the slightest hint of a flinch. Apparently these things could feel fear…at least the higher or stronger of these creatures could. **"I'm going to take that throat of yours and tar it off so the birds can feast on you." **I said to it, flexing a claw or two slightly, glaring at it. I could almost feel my own hatred rolling off of me at the creature, and it seemed to hesitate. It must have thought I was a normal human when it had been dispatched, not some other creature. It's mistake.

I lunged forward, sending my tails in two different directions, one to my left and right, as they acted like a pincer and seemed to go for the creature in the middle, but it smoothly evaded them, going backwards. It should have moved forward honestly, I knew it was not on the defensive. And since it was, I wasn't going to let it g to the offensive. I slashed my claw, sending a surge of red chakra at it, as the ground it passed was torn apart, And the creature jumped into the air. A small mistake in my opinion, as one of my tails surged from under it, and I heard it say something, but I couldn't quite make out what it was. And then suddenly, it slammed that rod into the building, and bounded away from my tail.

Then it was above me, coming down on top of me, in a rather quick attack. Scowling slightly, I made a small ice ball in my left palm, and then shot it at the creature. And right before impact, it opened up, and shot a lot of ice needles at the creature, attempting to impale it. It smashed all the needles with the rod, smacking them back at me, and making me jump away from that spot, as I glared at that thing. This thing was going to be a small pain. Only a small one though.

It hit the ground where I was, and then was lunging at me, making me growl furiously. It had managed to gain the offensive. Furious, I smashed my foot into the ground, as an Earthen shield broke from the ground, stepping between me and the creature, as I heard it smash into the rock, and let out a howl of rage and a little pain. Then I put my palm against the rock, before launching it forward, as I heard the other creature grunt a little, as it was picked up and carried away by the Earthen wall. And then I watched in a rather satisfactory way as the Wall smashed into the building, effectively crushing the creature. But to my chagrin, I didn't see any splatter of blood, or anything to indicate that the creature was dead.

Then the rock formation broke apart, sending a few fragments at me, and all I did was scowl a little. This was slightly tiring. I grabbed the rocks, and then used my energy to make them into nothing more than dust, as the creature emerged from the rubble, and if it could, it would probably be glaring at me. Then it shifted slightly, twirling the rod, and I was slightly confused. What was it doing…at best, it seemed a little drunk. Had I hit it that hard? Of course, that was before I saw some sort of phantom image of it rush me, and I tried to evade, but I just wasn't quick enough.

I felt that rod smack me in the gut, as I doubled over, and then what felt like a club hit me in the back of the head, making me face plant harshly into the ground. Then I felt a foot smash against me, as my body went rolling across the ground, dirt and debris digging into my body as I continued this slow roll. It was probably going rather quickly, but it felt so slow, especially since the pain was slowly spiking across my body, as my stomach ached, and the back of my head let of a simple throbbing as though in rhythm with a drum. I stopped shortly, and got up, looking over at the creature who had just beaten me senseless. I wasn't sure what had just happened, but I couldn't keep up with two tails of power? This thing had some serious power behind it.

Scowling slightly, I glared at it one more time. Then I let out a small burst of energy then, and then lunged, the small burst of energy seemed to throw the creature off balance, wasn't expecting a small show I'm willing to bet, and then I was under it, and swept under its legs…only to feel a rod smack me against my face, and send me rolling across the ground again, a massive pain as pulsing through my face, as though someone had taken a spike and planted it in my face and then kindly smashed it further in with a hammer. I curled up slightly, my hands holding my face as though that would make the pain go away, but as you may imagine, it didn't.

It didn't take that long before the pain had subsided enough for me to stand up. This thing was powerful…and it seemed to have adapted to my fighting style already. Even with two tails of power, and despite the wounds that were giving me a power increase, this thing was still going toe to toe with me. This was not good. Then the creature seemed to let out a scowl…and then I noticed why. Ninja were gathering…and it sounded like most of the pale creatures had been routed. There weren't any more shrieks of terror, and by the gathering ninja, it seemed like the creature I was facing was the final one. There might have been one or two others, but they were of little consequence. Damn it…if the others interfere, I wouldn't be able to go full force anymore. They all stood at the rooftops…but they didn't move to help. They were eying both of us, as though each of us was a danger. Well, maybe appearing demonic had its advantages, and right now, it kept them out of the fight.

What I didn't like, was that there were a few faces I recognized, people I had graduated with. They only stared at me, and I couldn't blame them. I wasn't the most natural looking then, well, natural to them. But that fear kept them stifled, and away. Good…things would get worse, if they decided to interfere.

The creature seemed to have reached the same conclusion, as it ignored the others. It stretched out slightly as it looked at me, or faced its head toward me. I didn't know what to say at the point, in fact, there wasn't really much to say, not to anyone. I had something I needed to kill, and in all honesty, it seemed to have the same thought for me. Which is a little odd in my opinion. But I would worry about that later.

Suddenly I broke my claw into the ground, as a pair of twin earthen serpents started to roar towards the creature, and as they were sliding toward the thing rather quickly, I tore out of the ground and took to the air, as a burning serpent appeared around me, and then was launched towards that creature. Then I threw both of my tails towards the ground, where they stuck, and then held me up, anchoring me to the sky. I watched as my serpents tore through the ground, it was being thrown around by their bodies, and the creature I was facing took to the sky like I expected, as my salamander went to greet it, the fire scorching from its mouth as it approached, making the creature burn for a little bit before it struck my flame with its rod, making it dissipate. I wasn't that surprised, this thing seemed to have very few tricks. But while I was anchored…

I put both of my hands forward, as red energy started to seep into both of them. This was a new trick of mine, and I was about to see how effective it would be. Then I put the energy around my whole body, as a hexagon of energy formed in front of me. Then inside that hexagon, I formed three small spheres. And then all three spheres meshed together forming a massive sphere, before The insides started to fill with a crimson energy, making it appear as though blood was mixing into it, before the creature actually looked at me. I grinned at it, and It let loose a curse word, before I launched it at it, and as it prepared to dodge, the sphere shattered and broke apart into three smaller spheres, all of them forcing it to go up. It did exactly that, and it only made me grin, and as it looked up, it paused…probably in fear.

Standing above it was the hexagon I had formed…the opening faced towards it. Then the three spheres opened up, and formed a second hexagon beneath it, and then it tried to bolt, but it didn't have enough time. Then the crimson liquid broke forth, connecting the two hexagons, and making it into some sort of containment field…but this field wasn't meant to last, as this creature was soon going to find out. Then the insides of the field started to fill with electricity…and then I opened both of my palms again. And then I clenched them in a violent manner, before the whole cage began to shake, and then violently, electricity surged through it, and finally, the thing imploded in on itself, and exploded, sending fire and force everywhere. I grinned lightly…it should have been over with that.

Then the creature was in front of me, making me blink once. And then the things rod smashed into me, and knocked me harshly to the ground, as I felt the wind get knocked out of me as I hit hard. I stared up at the thing…and it was in terrible shape. One of the things arms was missing, and it had holes through its whole body. Of course, this didn't seem to slow it down, and this made me curse. I had used up a lot of energy in that last attack. Then the thing was plummeting towards me, and I didn't think I would have time to react.

Then a blur appeared next to it, materializing for a brief second…Karell. Then I saw his foot slam into the creature, and send it barreling away, just in time to see a blue energy grab the creature, fling it high into the air, before disappearing and reappearing above it, catapulting down, grabbing the creature, and slamming it into the ground. I felt the Earth shake momentarily, before I saw the creature get lifted again by the energy, only to watch it smack the energy and cancel it out. That rod…apparently it had some sort of cancelation ability.

Then Karell was next to me, crouching low. "You know Naruto, you're lucky we came." He said, before standing up. He looked at the creature, who in turn seemed to stare at him. I wasn't sure if I should tell Karell I had atleast one more tail to call upon if it was needed…but then again, I could let the other two take over.

"He's all yours." I told him, before I saw him take a couple steps forward. I saw Hokara on a rooftop as well, as blue energy seemed to gather around her. She watched the creature, probably waiting for the opening Karell made.

Then KArell burst forward, his speed so great that he seemed to disappear from the place he had been, and I saw in amazement as he was suddenly on the other side of the creature, the ground to the creature was suddenly full of cuts, and then I saw a lot of cuts materialize on the creature from out of nowhere, was it just me, or was he getting faster? How?

Then I saw a blue energy hit the creature from behind, slamming it into the ground, and then bounding away, and as the creature got up, I saw Karell go through it again, and this time, I noticed his blade had turn a deep, dark brown. Close to bordering on black. He was facing towards the creature then, as he pulled the blade back. "Untold devastation, corrupt this Earth with your influence! Rending Earth!" He roared out, before slashing it along the ground, as it then made a wave of stalagmites travel towards the creature he was fighting, who jumped up into the air. And I then saw something that would definitely not make it happy.

A red and gold blue was suddenly underneath it, as I saw a foot kick it higher into the air, just as the red and gold blur moved, jumping off of the air, around to the side of the creature, smashing her foot into the side of it, and then used the air to speed past where the demon was, appearing on the other side of it, and then kick it at an angle into the air, Where it used the air to shove off of and gain momentum again, appearing below the creature again, as it smashed it with a fist higher, jumped up again and then kicked it even higher, before I saw Lufia move faster than I had ever seen her.

Then she moved around the creature, flying above it as it flew up, and when I say she went higher, I meant she went a lot higher. Then I saw her flip her body so that she was facing towards the ground. The creature she was knocking around then flipped itself to face her, and it held it's rod in a steady position. Lufia paused as well, and I saw her feet planted against the air above her, and then I saw some sort of purple energy forming around her fists…and the energy rapidly grew to engulf her entire body. Her Magenta eyes seemed to be glowing, and she looked pissed off. I wondered if she saw the creature knocking me around…if she did, this was not going to end well for it.

Then she slammed her feet against the air, as She began to spin extremely fast, the purple energy suddenly swirling around her, as it formed into some sort of typhoon of magenta energy, as she barreled towards the creature, I could hear a rather loud yowling sound, of an enraged cat honestly. And then I saw it swing it's rod at Lufia, well, the typhoon of energy, which kind of worried me. That thing could cancel out mine and Hokaras's energy. Who knew what kind of effect it would have? And then I saw the rod and the energy connect…and the typhoon halted, and I felt my heart freeze for a second.

Then the rod suddenly shattered into splinters, as the typhoon resumed its path, and I heard the creature let out a deafening shriek, as the energy slammed into it, and then they both went plummeting to the ground, until the typhoon, with creature, slammed harshly into the ground, hard enough to make the whole area shake, before the energy in the typhoon dissipated. The only one I saw in the crater though was the creature…and then there was a red and golden blur in front of me, As Lufia was there, kneeling in front of me. Paying her respects in front of everyone? I felt myself blush lightly. "Master," She said, and I think I turned another shade of red. It was one thing to be called that in front of complete strangers. But in front of people you knew? That was a whole other story. "Sorry I'm late. I..had some problems I needed to deal with." She said, sounding slightly ashamed.

I guessed the other problems was that she was scared of these creatures. "Lufia, rise." I said to her simply. She did as she was told, but she kept her head bowed in some reverence for me. I grabbed her chin and lifted it, and stared into her magenta eyes with my crimson ones. She seemed to be expecting something. "Good job." I told her simply. She blushed a little…probably expecting a reprimand for being so late. To be honest, I didn't expect her to come at all.

Then I let go of her chin, and walked over to the crater…and peered inside of it. The creature wasn't there. Alarmed, I looked around. I couldn't sense it or anything. It just seemed to have…vanished. "Damn it." I said…I didn't notice it when it got away. It was probably too wounded, and without that stick, it wouldn't fight. Part of that things power was its ability to cancel energy out.

Then I looked over at the other Ninja…and wondered what would happen at this point. My energy cancelled out as well, as the demonic energy pouring out of me seemed to dissipate into nothing. As though the other three knew what my thoughts would be, they gathered closer to me, Hokara even jumped down from the roof. Lufia got closer than everyone else…my own little guardian demon. Karell was next to me as well, his hand resting on the hilt of his Katana. Hokara just had some blue energy swirling around her lightly. It was nice that they were willing to fight for me, but they were taking things too far in my opinion. "Stand down you three." I said to them, and all of them appeared a little startled by me saying that. I wouldn't be able to turn my weapons against my village. And even though they didn't like it, they each in their own way made themselves appear less lethal.

I walked away from them…and the only one that followed me was Lufia. The other two kept their distance…and seemed to fade into the shadows, before disappearing completely from sight. Lufia stayed next to me, my faithful and obedient slave. Sadly, I knew she would follow me through the depths of Hell. The other ninja just stayed away from me…who knew what their thoughts were. And then someone entered that surprised me, in fact, it made me stop in my tracks and stare. Walking towards me…Iruka-sensei…

He didn't let my stopping and staring stop him, he walked over, and I saw Lufia get a little defensive, as she seemed ready to engage him. I put my hand out though, stopping her before she began. She understood…but she gave me a small growl to let me know that she was not happy with my decision. He just stepped in close, and then wrapped me in his arms, hugging me to him. "Naruto…it has been too long." He said to me, in a simple voice. I hadn't expected the sudden warmth, and before I knew it I had my own arms wrapped around him.

I didn't cry…but I came close. 'Aw, isn't that sweet. It's a good thing I like him Kit.' I heard Prelait think to me. She could just ruin the moment without a second of hesitation.

'Am I allowed to, for once, enjoy myself?' I asked her, before breaking the hug with Iruka-sensei. The other ninja, even if they disapproved of me, had the decency not to interrupt the moment we were sharing. And even Lufia game me a little more space than normal. Not a lot mind you, but she did it just enough to let me know she respected my personal space…in this matter at least.

"Well Iruka-sensei, I needed to get out for a bit." I told him with a smile on. I couldn't help it, even if things did go sour in this place, the meeting I had with him made it all better. And of course well worth it.

"So I see. You'll need to tell me all about your adventures when we settle down. I'll treat you." He said, smiling a little.

"You sir are crazy. Have you seen this kid eat?" I heard Karell say, standing close to us. Ah, time to let the good moment go to waste.

"Well, I've put up with him for a while, so I would think I know." Iruka-sensei told him, laughing a little. "Good to know you have made friends Naruto. No one else could possibly know how much you eat.

"Alright. Now then, do you know how much SHE eats?" Karell said, pointing at Lufia. She glared at him, growling lightly.

Iruka-sensei looked at her, then back at Karell. "Don't tell me it is the same amount that Naruto eats…" He said trailing off slightly. I couldn't help but laugh, I forgot that he didn't make as much money as did when I was bounty hunting. She didn't eat as much as me…but she did eat a lot.

"I would appreciate it if you wouldn't disrespect me in front of my master like that _Karell._" She said adding a rather nasty and sharp edge to her voice as she stated his name, making it seem as though she had something rather unpleasant planned for him. Heck, she probably did.

Iruka-sensei looked at me, raising an eyebrow. "Master?" He said, looking at me. He didn't need to look at me as though I had some sort of weird fetish…

"It's one of those stories I need to tell you." I told him, raising my hands up in surrender. Of course, when Lufia put her arms around me and purred, it did not help to enforce my image.

"Aw, is my Master embarrassed?" She said with a strong purr in her voice. She was enjoying this far too much.

"Lufia, that's enough." I said to her, feeling my own face starting to heat up. It was easily seen, and in all honesty, I felt any image I had was dying away. Not the best thing in the world really.

She just giggled as she let go of me. She had that mischievous grin on her face again…and something tells me she was going to happily play that 'Madly in Love with me' phase of hers again. If only to embarrass the crap out of me. And she knew it would work. Especially here of all places. Things could not possibly get any worse. 'I could manifest myself.' Prelait thought to me. And once again, I stand corrected.

I didn't even bother to answer her, as We all started to walk. Hokara hadn't said anything, she just followed behind us. To be honest the person she followed closest to was Karell…and if I wasn't mistaken, those two were sticking together more often. I resisted the urge to laugh at the thought. They used to argue so much…and now they seemed to be very good friends. And to a small degree, I wondered if there was more to their friendship than I had first imagined…and then I shook such thoughts from my head. Cute to think about, but the age difference was a little much for me. And if I recalled, Karell didn't enjoy thoughts of being a pedophile.

All of us just walked along, I wasn't sure how long it would be until things settles down. Corpses were being taken care of, and the like. I saw a few ninja carting away the bodies of those pale creatures, probably to be dissected and examined. I didn't know if they would find anything useful, but in all honesty, I doubted it. Then again, I never tried, so I could be mistaken. I just hope they didn't do something stupid like try to replicate those creatures, it would just make things more difficult. And who knows how it would turn out in the end.

Sighing a little, I stopped. "Iruka-sensei…mind if I explore a little on my own? I want to see how this place has changed. I'll just show up at your place when I'm done. Karell and…" I let it trail off. I didn't know if Hokara wanted her real name to be mentioned. I know it was a bit of a sacred thing to her.

"Hokara." I heard her say, as though she knew what dilemma I had in mind, and I was grateful to her for doing that for me.

"Yeah, take Hokara and explore. I'll take Lufia with me." I said, turning away as I began to walk away.

"Yeah, wouldn't want you and your little Love Toy to get separated, would we?" I heard Iruka-sensei say in a little bit of a mocking voice. There was laughter behind it though. "Then again, I can't imagine anyone being able to take you with that amount of energy you have."

Of course, I stopped in my tracks to the point I fell down face first into the ground. My face felt so hot that I wondered why the ground touching my face wasn't melting. I got up, shaking the dirt and dust off of me, still feeling my face growing hotter. "I-Iruka-sensei!" I said, exasperated. I couldn't think of anything else to say…

He just laughed at me, shaking his head lightly. "Relax Naruto, I'm kidding. I just wanted to see the reaction you were going to have." He said, laughing lightly. Karell and Hokara were stifling their own laugh…and Lufia was just red like me. But one thing she was sporting was a grin from ear to ear, and she was looking at me in a way that me feel as though she saw me as some sort of prey. In a way, it was kind of scary. And in another, it was kind of exciting.

'Aww…my Kit is smitten. Isn't it cute?' I heard Prelait think to me, and I gave her a rather harsh earful back. I really was not in the mood. Then again, one had to wonder what possessed me to yell at one of the strongest demons in history…I must have been in a bad mood.

She never said anything back though, so maybe she knew enough not to bother me just then. And as I walked away, Lufia joined me, travelling with me. She stayed close to me, and whenever I saw any sort of woman approaching, I noticed that she inched closer to me, as though laying claim to me. No skin off my back really, I didn't care. Though I saw some familiar people approaching…and I wanted to groan. Sakura. I didn't really want to deal with her right now. And from the way she looked at me, she was easily coming towards me, so the chance of a nonchalant passing just flew out the window.

"Naruto…" She said, looking at me. And then she looked at Lufia, who was a little closer to me than normal, even when she was being protective. "What happened to you?" She asked me. "Where did you go…why did you leave?"

I wasn't sure if I was supposed to be honest with those answers or not. Well, nothing to lose I guess. "By what happened to me, you already know. I was gone for a year, or a little longer, I'm not a hundred percent sure. Where I went, I just travelled. I have learned a lot in this world. More so than I could have ever learned by staying here. As for why…" I said, shaking my head a little, before looking at her. "Because, I needed to get out of this cramped space. I needed to experience freedom on a level I have never had before." I told her, before looking at Lufia. She chuckled lightly, before wrapping her arms around me, and looking at Sakura.

The look in her eyes was amusement…and to a degree, it seemed to be some sort of challenge. "You know, I should thank you." I heard Lufia say with a purr. "It's so hard to find a good person these days, much less a strong one. I'm glad that something or someone in this village drove him away…unless you had. I never would have met him. I never would have lost to him." She said, before she kissed my cheek lightly. I blushed a little then, I couldn't help it. But wasn't she pushing this a little too far?

Sakura looked a little shocked. "N-Naruto!" She said, slightly skeptical. Alright, maybe a little wasn't enough. "Are you telling me that you..you're…" She said, unable to finish the sentence. And in the end, I heard an alarm ringing around my head. Lufia…don't say what I think you are going to say…

"Why, he is my Master. And I am his slave." Lufia told her in a matter of a fact voice. She said that last part with a bit of a purr as well, as though it was something she really enjoyed.

And she did say what I was afraid she was going to say. "You…you pervert!" I heard Sakura say to me, well, more like yell. Before she turned around and bounded off.

I just looked at Lufia, and scowled a little. "You know…all of that was not necessary." I said to her, shaking my head lightly. I didn't know what drove her that far, but honestly, I wasn't complaining too much. I just didn't enjoy being called a pervert. It was kind of aggravating.

"I know Master." She said to me with what had to be the most innocent smile a guilty person could wear. "But to be honest Master," She said with a sly edge in her voice. "You liked it."

I blushed a little again. "You can't prove anything." I said to her, a little bit like a challenge. And in all honesty, I really should have thought before I said anything.

"Oh really Master?" She asked me, cocking an eyebrow at me. That mischievous grin of hers was plastered onto her face, and her tail was twitching a little wildly. Then she started to saunter towards me, her movements a little slower than normal, as her tail was swishing and twitching in what seemed to be anticipation. "How much do you care to put on that?"

Her question startles me a little. Was she really that intent on proving me wrong? And just what did she have up her sleeve? To be honest, it made me take a step or two away from her. Too bad for me that had my back pressed against a wall. "Lufia…you may be crossing a line here." I told her, with a little warning in my voice. I was positive she could hear it…whether or not she heeded it was a different matter entirely.

"But Master, I thought you said I couldn't prove anything? Or is my Master scared of me?" She asked, that grin on her face taunting me, mocking me. Part of me wanted to prove her wrong. Oh I wanted to do it so badly…But was it worth it? That was a rather good question.

"I'm not scared of you." I told her, my stubbornness pressing through everything, as I looked at her. And to be honest, I felt a little adrenaline start to pour through me. I didn't know exactly why, but it did.

"That's a good thing Master," She said, caressing that last word as though I was some sort of lover. "I would hate to be the slave of someone who was afraid of me." She said, that mischievous grin of hers adorning her lips again. Then she moved closer, and pressed her lips to my own, and then I felt her body get pressed to my own.

The Kiss Prelait and I had seemed rather weak in all honesty. It hadn't felt like much at all. This kiss though…it was different. I felt an intense fire suddenly surge through my body, as I felt her press her body to mine. Even through the clothing we had on, I could feel the softness of her body, just how would it feel if nothing was there to stop us? I barely had time to think about that, before it felt like some sort of lightning was arcing through my body, and out of instinct, I felt one of my arms wrap itself around her waist, and pull her closer. I felt and heard her moan into my mouth softly, and I swore she seemed to press her chest harder to mine, as both of us broke away.

I didn't even need a mirror, or even feeling to know my face was a little red. She was the same, except she had the widest smile on as she looked at me, and I saw a feeling in her eyes I didn't think I would ever see directed at me. Lust. Pure and simple desire to have me was pouring out of her eyes as she stared at me. She even licked her lips a little, as though she was trying to capture my taste again. "_Master…_" She said, and this time, there was easily a loving caress to it. She didn't say anything else, and yet I completely understood what she was saying to me.

'So…' I heard Prelait say from out of nowhere. And it startled me, I hadn't been expecting anything like that. 'That is what a real kiss is supposed to be like. Now…I wonder what sex is like.' She thought to me, a puzzled tone in her voice.

'Prelait, before you ask, we are not going to try it al-' And before I could finish that thought, I heard a metal object hit the ground. I didn't want to look over…but a very strong curiosity got the better of me. And as it took all the strength I had…I couldn't help but stare a little.

'Kit.' I heard Prelait say to me, in a matter of a fact voice.

'Yes?' I ask her…unable to do any real thinking of my own. My mind felt numbed by this…

'You're fucked.' She said, and she definitely did not mean it in a good way. And to be honest, I had to agree with her.

Staring at me wide-eyed, with a kunai on the ground as it slipped out of their hand. Staring at me, with those eyes…eyes that I partially wondered if they would haunt me.

Was Hyuuga Hinata.

General Badaxe- Man, I don't even want to say how long I had writers block for while writing this. I stared at the screen for what felt like hours on end at times. Anyways, I'll try to update again when I can. But once again, I'm not going to promise anything since I don't have a ready access to internet, so it is up in the air. Anyways, until later, goodbye everyone.


	14. Chapter 14

General Badaxe- Well, I'm now beginning to work on this one, though it has been a while. To those of you who read my other story you know why. And those of you that don't know, My work schedule is a bit hectic. Waking up at four in the morning, and getting off at eight at night. So, it takes a little more effort on my part to write. Especially with how exhausting my work is. So, I'm working on this when I'm able. Another thing, and yes, it is another repeat. If you are prior service, currently serving, or anything of that nature, I'm honestly not that interested. I'm tired of hearing story upon story from people the second they learn I'm serving as well. Whether in real life or in cyber space, it seems everyone has some sort of war story to tell me. I don't care. I'm here to write this story and be done with it. Though to be honest, the way my life is going, Blood Raider here may be the last story I publish on fanfiction. I know my other one is reaching its end. And while I could come up with another story, I'm not sure I'll be able to devote myself to it. But I am still planning on finishing this one. Until then, I hope all of you do well. And now, on with the story. (I'll answer reviews at the end of the chapter. Hope no one minds.)

I know that someone was getting some sort of sick and twisted amusement out of this. Though to be honest, I'm not sure I could explain this sudden torrent of emotion surging through me. It was a strange mix of guilt, pleasure, satisfaction, wanting, lust, shame, and a few more I couldn't exactly describe thrown into the mix. It was a bit of a sudden thing, this weird conglomeration of events. I was still sorting them out in my head, watching the events unfold through my eyes again and again. And yet, no matter how much I honestly devote to this thing, I couldn't help but feel that a few pieces were missing. Nothing I could do would let me try to expunge these memories, I already knew it. I liked to think I didn't think of suicide as often as I used to, but this was one of those moments where I would hope that something drastic would happen to either incapacitate me, or possibly kill me. I already knew I wasn't so lucky.

I peered over at Lufia…and my heart sank even more. She was looking at me. Not with lust, devotion, or anything like that. There was a mischievous twinkle in her eyes that seemed to tell me she was about to screw me over. And not in the good way either. Suddenly she slammed her hands into my chest, and my body went spiraling away from the place, and I must have been travelling at a high pace because it didn't take me long at all to feel my back get driven into the wall, effortlessly caving it in around me as it fell on top of me. When her hands had first slammed into me, it had completely torn the breath from me, making it an impossible task to breathe, and what little air I had gained in that small moment was quickly dispersed when my back had been slammed into said wall. Having some chunks of wall land on my stomach also dispersed my precious air. I thought I was dying, it seemed that every force in town was trying to take the air out of me.

I was able to draw a few breath's then, and shoved the rocks off of me. Panting heavily, loving the taste of the sweet air tasting on my tongue, as I sat up with the world slowly coming into focus around me. I wasn't sure just what had happened, and I needed to replay the moment in my head once or twice, in order for me to be able to remember everything that had just happened. And when the memory became crisp as the winter air in my head, I let a dark scowl begin to permeate my face. I was going to have a few words with Lufia when I found her…and they would not be pleasant.

"Umm…" I heard a familiar voice say close to me, and I peered up through the hole I had just created. Hinata was there, staring at me, obviously as confused as I am. "Naruto?"

I don't know why, but when people said my name like it was question, it just irritated me. Maybe it was because if someone could see me, and I hadn't changed my appearance in any way, shape, or form, there was no need for such a thing. "Yes Hinata?" I asked her, not quite having the breath or energy to feel shame for what had happened the last time we had met.

At first, she didn't say anything, and when I had gotten my breath back, I looked at her clearly then. She had changed a little. Some features had remained the same, such as she kept wearing those sweaters despite the temperature. I could not for the life figure out why. And her eyes were still completely white, a grey circle in the middle. It always unnerved me every time I looked into them. But some things did change. Such as her hair was longer than I remember. It just lightly brushed her shoulders with the tips. I wondered why she had grown out her hair, but it honestly wasn't my concern.

"What on Earth did you do to that woman to make her do that to you?" She asked me, slightly confused. An ice breaker? Something to get conversation started? It well might have been, but I suppose it was a good place to start.

"To be honest, She just wanted to start a little mischief." I told her, wondering when she was going to start with the real questioning. This little charade of being interested in the small details was annoying.

Then silence took over us, neither of us speaking to the other. I was trying to remember…I remember sending her a letter. And there was one or two things in it I couldn't remember. What were they…I know that one or two of them were important as well. Well, hopefully they came to memory soon. Otherwise I'm not sure things will end well. "You have something to say." I told her, impatience getting the better of me. So I wasn't one for waiting, sue me. On second thought, don't. Somehow, I would lose the case no matter how stupid the argument.

She didn't say anything at first. Then she walked towards me, getting close. Rather close. In fact, her face was mere inches from mine. Kind of unnerving, those eyes scared the living crap out of me. But before I could complain, or say anything for that matter, Her hand whipped out lightning fast, and for the briefest second I saw chakra surge to her hand. And then her hand hit me across the face. I was more surprised than hurt…I thought. Until I realized I was flying through the air again, my body slamming through the building a second time. Thankfully, I wasn't out of breath this time.

'Well, don't we have a way with the ladies.' I heard a familiar voice say through my head to me. It took me a second to get my bearings back. Who was speaking to me? Prelait, that's right.

'You can bite me woman.' I thought to her, groaning as I got to my knees, and slowly pushed myself upright. Alright. I deserved that, I know it. But still, it was way too painful for me to not get a bit of a rise out of it. But as I looked around, Hinata was gone. So, this was a bit of a different reception than I had anticipated. There was no roses or celebration involved mind you, but I would have enjoyed something a little less painful.

'Is that an invitation?' Prelait thought to me with a smirk. I didn't see it. But I could tell from the sound of her voice what had crossed her face, it didn't take much of an imagination.

'No.' I thought to her bluntly, sighing a little. This was a bit much, what with everything happening. Not to mention, there was a few issues I still had to deal with. Those undead creatures, or whatever they were. Maybe undead wasn't the right classification. But it was the best I had. They were stronger than I thought, the elite ones anyways, and there seemed to be some sort of over mind behind it all. On top of that, there was Gerth. As far as I know, he was still after me for some reason. Though if I had to venture a guess, he was after me for Prelait. That seems to be the only reason someone would want to come after me without knowing me. Unless he knew I was a Blood Raider? But not even I knew that until a short while ago.

'Kit, you're brooding again.' She said to me, a small sigh flooding through me, not one of my own. It was an odd sensation really, feeling someone else's emotions surging through you. 'While I admit the silent and mysterious look is sexy, you need to atleast have some emotions. After all, two women just basically beat the daylights out of you, and you aren't reacting at all. Makes me wonder if you have a pair.'

"Fuck you!" I said to her, and I realized quickly my anger had boiled over instantly, I had said the words out loud. Peering around quickly, I noticed that no one was around. Probably a good thing, I had a hard time convincing myself I was sane sometimes, let alone convincing another person of such a thing.

'Apparently we need to work on your sanity as well. Yelling at no one is definitely not healthy for you.' She thought to me, not even bothering to contain her mirth at my expense.

'I hate you.' I thought to her, a little bitterly. The only reply I got was a soft chuckle. At least she wasn't driving me too far up the wall.

Straightening out, I moved on, walking away from the scene. If I left fast enough, I could claim if someone accused me that it had been one of the creatures that had broken through the wall, save myself from paying those reparations. Well, it would be easy at least, I'm sure the village was still in a little bit of a panic. And there would be a lot of new rules coming down, I just knew it. But until then, I planned on exploring a bit. And with that last though smugly fitting into the recess of my mind, I moved on. I would deal with Lufia later. As for Hinata…Something told me that wasn't the last I would see of her. Or feel.

For the most part, I let my feet carry me. Looking around, other than the damages from the creatures, this place hadn't changed a bit. Then again, was I honestly expecting it to change a lot when I had only been gone a year? Or was it two? It had been a while, I know that much. Though, a little to my own chagrin, the little mud man I had built right before I left had been taken down. I understood why, but still it hurt to see your work casually cast aside.

"You know, returning to the scene of the crime isn't always a wise things." I heard a rather familiar and old voice behind me. Turning around, I looked at the Old Man. Hokage's never seemed to age…or maybe because they were so old, it only seemed like they never aged. Still in that red and white outfit of his, his hair nothing more than a mass of silver upon his head. A small beard hang from his chin, and I had never figured out if he kept it that long, or if he was so old his hair stopped growing out. A lit pipe was in his right hand, and he slowly drew a puff from it, and let it out.

"Hey Old Man." I said to him, grinning a little. He probably had not forgotten I had only hid the little thing, so it would be interesting to see just what he had in store for me. "So, what brings you here? Surely there should be some sort of uproar because of those creatures." I said to him, in a non-chalant manner.

"Quite." He said, biting the end of his pipe, as though that was a fact he would have preferred to forget. "Though I have to say, the timing of you arriving here on time seems to coincide too well. And with complete strangers to boot. Interesting ones, but strange all the same." He said, emphasizing the strange. I was not about to disagree with the guy, I seemed to attract strange people.

"Well, I knew they were coming here. It's a bit of a long story though." I told him, shaking my head slightly. When it all came back to me, it was a bit shocking really." I told him.

The old man sat down, leaning against a tree. It made him seem…younger. Just sitting there with no burden heaped upon his back. Kind of a surprise to me, I never would have thought that such a thing would be possible. The world is full of wonders. "Tell me the story. It beats listening to everyone say what is best for the village, and hope I choose their idea." He told me, sighing as though it was an unpleasant thought garnered in his head. Can't say I blame him either.

A small smile lit up my face, didn't intend for it to, but this Old Man brought out the best in me. I promptly sat next to him, leaning my back against the vegetation, as I made myself comfortable. "Now where to begin…" I said softly…and to be honest, I couldn't help but think the beginning would be the best. "Well, it all started with me going to the desert." I told him, smiling a little.

"I had travelled a little, and had finally found a small village to sleep in. I remembered that the price of the water infuriated me, but that's just a small detail. But the Inn I had stayed in, and something uncommon happened. I was apparently poisoned. And the only reason I'm still alive is because of the Kyuubi inside of me. She had decided to intervene and save my life. Mainly because her own was at risk."

"Her?" I heard the Hokage ask me, a slight hint of amusement entering his tone.

"Yeah, I was surprised when I found out about that one too." I told him, shaking my head. "Let me tell you, finding out the scariest demon in the world was a woman, on top of that, a sweet one, let me tell you, it messes with your perception of reality." I told him.

'Yeah, I can only imagine.' I heard Prelait say to me, a fondness in her voice. And there was something else present, but I didn't know what it was. It was warm though, as though she was proud of something. A bit odd.

"Sweet?" He asked, and I already knew the question on his mind. I had the same one, so long ago for her.

"She's a violent drunk." I told him, suppressing a smirk. "She only destroys things when she is drunk. She still has her scary moments mind you, but only when she truly wants something. Like any other woman."

"So I see." He said to me, biting his pipe again, as though thinking. "I think I'll keep that fact a secret though. I don't think that anyone needs to know we were only attacked because a demon was drunk." He said, shaking his head slightly. He was as incredulous as I had been.

"Oh, there are a few more facts about her that I find funny," I said to him, smiling a little. "You see, she is also-"

Suddenly, without warning, I saw her in front of me…not literally, as though some image of her was being projected through my eyes only I could see. I knew the Hokage hadn't acted at all, so he couldn't see her. 'Kit, let's keep those facts to yourself, alright?' She said to me, in an unbelievably sweet tone that promised me if I told him anything about her other than what I had mentioned, I was going to be miserable for a while.

'Yeah…no problem.' I thought to her, a small hint of fear suddenly coursing through me.

'There's a good Kit.' She thought to me with a smile, before the image seemed to fade.

"Well…that's enough of that topic." I said, an unease entering my voice. I just heard the Hokage laugh, as though he knew what had happened. And the way he looked at me, he could guess. His eyes seemed to say to me, that you never told a woman's secrets, especially when she could hear you do it. Swallowing once to clear my throat, I continued on with my story.

"Anyways, I dealt with the people that had poisoned me, they came to check up on me. Not exactly what they were expecting, as you may imagine. After I dealt with and interrogated them a little, I found out I was the target by some sort of crime syndicate mastermind. Someone named Gerth. Which had been a surprise to me. I didn't think I had earned their attention, but I had. And when I left, I had met up with Karell. He was the swordsman, the only other male. You probably saw, but he is a rather impressive swordsman. A bounty hunter on top of things.

Don't let the skill of him fool you, he is actually very, very immature. And silly. And strange. He is good at what he does, but there have been times that I wish I could just take him and smash him into a wall. If it weren't for the fact he's faster than me, I most likely would have done it by now. Anyways, I had met up with him, and it took more willpower than I had at first anticipated to put up with him. And when I thought I had lost him, thought I had found some way to separate us, we ran into a group of bandits. They had surrounded another one of my companions. The one with blue hair. Hokara.

We went to help her, but quickly found out she could take care of herself. She has control of some sort of strange, blue energy. I'm not sure what it is, but I quickly found out it was quite lethal. That woman has a strange personality as well, she keeps switching from over maturity to so immature that she makes Karell seem like an adult. Not the most pleasant thing mind you. Oh, and she is very smart. Easily makes me look retarded at moments, she has a tendency to use words I have never even heard before. But after she dispatched the bandits, she quickly attacked us with the same energy. We managed to scrape through that one, but not without having the living crap scared out of us. It is not a lot of fun being attacked by some sort of weird energy you can't explain.

After we had incapacitated her, and brought her with us, we had her explain what was wrong with her. A few weird things happened, I never realized just how much of a difference the place you grew up in and others was. They had a few strange customs. Some of which, I'll never truly be able to understand. So I wonder just what on Earth inspires such changes, but that is for another time. After our little encounter though, we all started to go towards Dead Man's Swamp. Interesting place, but on the way there, we went through a village…which was the next morning decimate by a demon of unfathomable strength. We left as quickly as we could, and went into the swamp. That is the place where we met our last companion.

Her name was Lufia, and she is the cat demon you saw earlier, or at least heard about. We had accidentally walked in on a gathering of female demon's, and I had to fight Lufia. In the end, another demon interfered, but I ended up killing her. And in accordance to the rules put out, Lufia had to stick with us and travel with us. She was the one who guided us through the Swamp and to our next destination: The Village that Hokara grew up in. Unfortunately, things went sour there, rather fast. And as much as I'm ashamed to admit it, I was captured. I was thrown into some sort of dungeon, and of course, I escaped from there. No place can hold me for long, after all.

Anyways, after I escaped, I made my way through the inner levels of the place, it seemed like some sort of giant maze. I dealt with a few guards, but the real terror came into light when demons started appearing. I still don't fully understand why they were there, but things were getting uglier and uglier. And when I had finally made it through the maze, I burst upon a little coliseum and the stands were full and the key figures there, as though they had expected me to break loose and make it this far. It was a bit of a surprise, but after I killed one or two of the creatures there, I rushed into the area where they were coming from to deal with the source directly. Inside of the place were more demons than I could count, and I went in far enough to deal with the problem directly.

Inside of the main area were those creatures you saw…those pasty skinned creatures that are immune to fear and other such subjects. Genjutsu doesn't work on them either. I took this all in, before I turned and saw that the leader of the village was there, and we fought. After I had dispatched him, I learned that this man knew far more about me than I care to admit. And he launched all those creatures to Konoha. Of course, after I learned of this, I came here as fast as I could in order to deal with the problem. You probably could have dealt with the problem if it was essential, but I figured I would lend a hand.

But, I learned one thing about me that I feel you should know about. I'm not sure how much you honestly know about them, but along my travels, I have figured something out about myself. Something other than I'm a demon container. One that even now, I truly wonder what it means. You see, I have found out that I'm a Blood Raider."

After I told him that, I saw his eyes widen, to a size I wasn't sure they should be. "Naruto…" He said, looking at me genuinely shocked. "Do you have any idea what that means?" He asked me, a sliver of excitement sliding into hic voice. It was strange for me, but apparently he knew far more about this than I had.

"I know a few things, but not enough to warrant anything as significant as what you are probably thinking." I said to him, shaking my head a little. I didn't think I should tell him about that hooded figure who had explained everything to me. I was still trying to figure out exactly who it was myself, and having him worry more about what was my needs than the villages would have been selfish.

"Naruto, I'll be honest. The fact you are a Blood Raider has to be one of the greatest blessings this village could have. On top of that, you are able to harness the energy of the demon inside of you. You are a rather powerful person because of this. And it will help us deal with a few neighboring issues we have been having. Your companions are strong as well, so I imagine they will help to reinforce the village." He said, smiling lightly. It was a warm smile, so I didn't pay it much attention in all honesty.

"But what about those creatures? The ones with white skin and black blood?" I asked him, a moment of confusion entering my mind.

"We will have to destroy them!" He said, with such a passion in his voice, that I couldn't help but be swept up in it and feel as though what he said should become my own work. No wonder her was the Hokage, even at such an age, his charisma is still rather powerful. "Of course, we need to deal with them while taking care of ourselves. A lot is happening Naruto, and we need every hand we can get." He said, a darker sound entering his voice, as though he was disturbed at the prospect of everything going on.

"What else is happening?" I asked him, curiosity heavy in my voice.

"A lot." He said, sighing lightly, and I got the feeling that things were a lot worse than he let on. "Trouble has started all around us. These creatures are the newest threat, but still potent as you may imagine. But other things are changing. A new Village has openly declared War with us, the Village of Sound." He told me, shuddering slightly.

To me it was an odd name. Sound? What kind of retarded person would name a village after something like Sound? "You see, It has gained a lot of power in these past few years. It wasn't much at first, and our pacifist ways would not let us deal with them before they became too much of a threat. I fear that may well be one of our undoing's." He said, shaking his head, pain evident in his eyes. He still yearned for a peaceful approach for as long as I could remember. Must be quite a shame for such a thing to be the cause for a lot of concern.

"I'm not going to be allowed to leave again, am I?" I asked him a little softly. I completely understood why in all honesty. But it was a bit of a disheartening thing. But when Duty called, I guess I would be here to see it through. Not always the best, but it was hard to have pride in a village that was destroyed. So I would need to do my best.

"Sadly, no Naruto. We need every hand we can get, and from what you have told me, you are a much bigger chip than I had first thought. You may be able to help us keep the other villages at bay for a little longer while we deal with these creatures. I just hope it won't be too long of a fight in all honesty, I'm not sure just how much time you will buy us. I just hope it is enough." He said, in a rather melancholy mood.

To a small degree, I understood. I didn't like it. But I understood. And as much as I hated it, I knew it was needed to use me as just another piece to keep war from ravaging this land. But I never had to like it. Still, I wonder how this will affect everyone's opinion of me. When it will be announced that I'm a Blood Raider. I just hoped that things didn't change too drastically. That and I had to go offer my companions the ability to leave. Though I honestly didn't think they would, not like any f them had anything better to do. That, and I know Karell would love to fight a war. That guy's battle lust is some of the worst I have seen.

"I need to go talk to my companions." I said to him, standing up, a scowl on my face. "I'm not happy about staying, but I know it has to be done, so I'll stay without any problems. But my companions have no obligation in this war, so I'm going to see if they want to go." I said to him, and I heard him give a small sigh.

"I would prefer it if you didn't, but I have no right to keep people not tied to this village here." He told me, standing up as well. "It's good to see you though, has been a little too quiet around here without you." He told me, grinning. It made him seem a little younger in all honesty. But as things proceeded to go through, I smiled a little. I couldn't help it, this Old Man was someone I respected.

And with that, I walked away, grinning. It was good to be back in all honesty, and things would be interesting for a while. A war…This was not going to end well. I knew that one. I just wondered how many of my friends were going to die in this one. Old and New. So much can change now, and things will never be the same. I've seen my share of horrors. But I had this feeling in my gut that nothing would prepare me for the horrors of war. With a last sigh, I bounded off, searching for each of my companions.

As I was searching, Prelait decided to pop into my head…or at the very least, talk to me. 'Well kit, it seems like things are going to be interesting for a while. Well, as interesting as everything is with you anyways. The way things gravitate towards you, you would think you were starring in some sort of story.'

'I know.' I thought to her, suppressing the sigh that wanted to come through my lips at the thought. 'But as things were going, It seems that I came back at the perfect time. Or lack thereof. Being bound here is going to irritate me a little, but I know I owe this place. Though I may disappear for good after this war. I don't feel like hanging around here much longer, too many painful memories.'

'Understandable.' She thought to me, and I almost felt her shrug. 'So tell me kit, where do you plan to go?'

'Well, I don't know.' I thought to her, smiling a little. 'I think that will be my new adventure. Finding a place to settle down and be at peace with myself. A place where I don't have to be looked down upon for being a demon container. Or for being depended on for being a Blood Raider. A place where I can just grow old and die.'

'Well, I never took you for the pacifist life style.' She thought to me, a tiny hint of surprise in her voice. 'Though I have to admit, it would be nice to settle down and be able to lounge around and relax all day.'

'Don't you do that anyways?'

'I do, but I was speaking more for you to enjoy than myself kit. All I have to do is boost your healing and feed you power once in a while, all in all, nothing special. But I admit, not having to do anything like that would definitely be a nice change of pace. But what are you going to do about Lufia? Karell and Hokara you can ask to leave you alone, but she is bound to you kit.'

'Well, I'll deal with her when the time comes. After all, it won't be for a while, and who knows how long this war will go on. I might pass away during it, or any one of my companions if they stay. I don't want it to happen, but of course I can't control a war.'

'I suppose you are right. Well, hopefully things go well for you. Oh, and take a left up here, Karell's in the area.'

'How do you know?' I asked her, curiosity suddenly welling up inside of me.

'Remember when I lent him my power? Well, I figured out his signature then, and I can now know where he is at all times. Comes in handy when you learn the signatures of people you need to keep on a leash. He's one of those people, as you may imagine.' She told me, and I almost felt the smirk spread across her mouth.

I let the conversation die off there, and as I turned left, Karell was there, leaning against the wall right in front of me. He wasn't even looking in my direction, but he relaxed a little, as though he had been expecting some sort of fight. "Well Naruto, how nice of you to show up." He said, still not turning around.

I was a bit taken back at this. Once again, he surprised me. I was almost sure I made no sound. And even if I had, this was a village full of ninja. So how could he distinguish if it was me or not? It made no sense at all. "Karell…how did you know it was me?" I asked him, slightly surprised.

Then he turned around rather quickly, as if to check something. Upon seeing my face, he smiled a little. "Well, I'll be honest. Every time I Heard someone come up behind me, I said how nice it was that you showed up. I was hoping I would be right, eventually. Though a lot of people look at me more strangely in this village. But I was expecting that in all honesty."

"Wait, wait, so let me get this straight," I told him, unable to keep the incredulousness from my voice. "You were saying to anyone who landed behind you, even when you didn't know what was going on, and addressed them as me? Karell, how many times were you dropped on your head as a child?" I asked him, before rubbing my temple with my hand. Part of me had wished he just let me believe he was actually that perceptive.

He shrugged his shoulders, before smiling at me. "Yeah, pretty much. Hope this doesn't come as much of a surprise to you."

"You know, in all honesty, it really doesn't surprise me as much as I wish it would." I told him, in a rather lame voice. I will never truly understand this man. Or how this idiot could be as dangerous as he is.

"Alright," He said, moving closer to me, his hand absently playing with the hilt of his katana as he looked at me. "But you have a purpose for finding me. So, what is it you wanted to talk about?" He asked me, a bit of a knowing smile on his face.

"I get the feeling you already know what I'm talking about. Or going to talk to you about." I told him, shaking my head a little as I smiled. His only reply back was a smile. Yeah, he already knew. "Well, I'm unable to leave the village. We are going to war and everything that goes with it, as such, I'm needed here. But you and everyone else are not bound to stay here. So, I have come to give you the option to escape here, and not get involved in a war that is your own."

Karell smirked at me, shaking his head a little. "I also get the feeling," He said, staring at me, his eyes filled with a smile all their own. As though he was touched a little at my answer to him. "That you already know my answer." At this point, it was my turn to give him a knowing smile.

"Well, with that one decided, I think it is time for us to get some food." He told me, shaking his head a little. "As for where the Old Man here puts me, I don't care. I'll help where I'm needed. Or he feels I'm needed." He told me, shaking his head a little. "Any good places to eat around here?" He asked me, a bemused smile adorning his face. With that, he and I went off, looking for a good place to eat.

It was amusing for me to be there really, helping the guy out for such a simple task. He probably knew where to get some food already, but he seemed to want some company. I think I could indulge him in something so simple as this, and as such we were friends. We had a bit of an odd relationship in all honesty. But at the same time, I could not but help but respect this man to a degree. And yet, he seemed so intent on doing stupid things to tarnish that respect. I couldn't argue much though, I remember times when I pulled such blasphemous pranks on this village that search parties hunted after me. Ah, good times, good times.

Well, as we sat down, I couldn't help but feel the warm nostalgia roll over me. One of my favorite places in the village, Ichiraku Ramen. One of the few people that didn't try to kill me, or run me out of their store. That, and I really enjoyed the ramen here, easily top notch in my opinion. "Why does this not surprise me?" Karell said, shaking his head in merriment. "Naruto, you are quite predictable sometimes."

"So sue me." I told his, shrugging my shoulders as I looked at him. "Besides, you need to enjoy the small things in life. Large one's usually last so long you get sick of them."

"Like marriage?" He asked me, a coy grin on his face.

"I wouldn't know anything about that one." I told him, shaking my head a little. "Still a little young for that."

"I imagine you would be." He told me, smiling a little. "Well, at least things are going to get interesting again. Though I admit, generally a war is a bit too upscale for me."

"Well, it isn't like I'm fully prepared for it either." I told him, sighing a little. I felt a small sliver of fear course through me as well. It was a bit unnerving to think about the number of people that were going to die. I just hoped it would be worth it.

"I'm not sure there is any true way to prepare for war." Karell told me, a wistful look on his face. "And very little good is done compared to the amount of bad. And the scars that will adorn people for the years afterwards will have their own marks. I guess in the end," He said, before I saw something akin to a tear in his eyes. I was slightly surprised, but the tear had gone away faster than it had appeared, which made me question on if I saw it. "War is the closest thing to Hell on Earth we can get."

We both sat in silence for a bit after that, our Ramen arriving, and we ate it in silence. A tension thick enough to cut wore into the air, and both of us slowly drank it in, and before I realized it, both of us had lost all the merriment we had accumulated. Then with a deep sigh, slicing the silence apart, Karell stood up. "I know you need to talk to the others. I parted ways with Hokara at the flower shop. She was fascinated with the place, so you could look there for her."

"What were you doing with Hokara at a flower shop?" I asked him, a sly tone entering my voice. Karell had the decency to flush red in embarrassment, and the way he glared at me had me laughing as I walked away.

"I'll kill you if you read into it." He told me in a dangerously low growl. I just laughed again, as I went away. It was a little fun to get under another person's skin from time to time. Not too often though, it could lead to problems. But once in a while was alright.

Though I'm not sure the flower shop was the best place for me to go. If I remembered everything correctly, Ino worked there. I didn't know the woman that well, but she was in roughly the same league as Sakura was. And who knows what else was going to happen as long as the people in the village were going to need to get used to me being back.

It didn't take long to get to my destination, though I hesitated at the door. Well…this wasn't going to be the best experience, I just got that feeling. And with one last steeling of my will, I opened the door and went inside.

The place was actually quite nice, much to my surprise. The flowers were lining the walls and shelves, all kinds of varieties which could mean any number of things. If I remember a little from what Ino used to say about them, the color and type of flower each represented a very large variety of meanings behind them. And the different amount of bouquets, the multitude of flowers in each one giving each one a completely different meaning than the one next to it. The place was slightly more humid than outside, the amount of water used to help keep each one alive giving a lot of moisture to the air around the place. It made me wonder why the woman didn't specialize in water techniques. Wait…did she? I honestly didn't know that much about her.

"Well, look who finally came back." I heard a voice say, and I looked at the counter with the cash register. I saw her then, her light blue eyes, bordering on grey. She had blonde hair, a little more pale than my own hanging down her back, one long braid in the front covering the right side of her face. She was wearing a dark purple outfit, with the bottom of it something akin to a skirt, and some black tights underneath it. She had a pouch strapped to her leg, bandage underneath it so that you wouldn't feel the friction of it against your leg. Her mouth was curved into a smile at me, not one of dislike or discontent, but rather a small fondness. It must be that she was in a good mood when she was in this shop, so she was willing to put up with me, even in this condition.

"Ino." I said to her simply, her smile slightly infectious as I felt one of my own tug at my lips. "I didn't know you worked here."

"It's a small job. Still a ninja first of course," She said, her voice pleasant. "But there is something about these flowers that keep pulling me back here. I guess my little shelter from the storms that come from being a ninja."

"Well, I never thought about it in such a way." I told her, my voice a little fond. Her mood was slightly infectious.

"Naruto…" She said, smiling at me. I was slightly confused at this point. I looked at her with a bit of a quizzical look. Her smile broadened. "Your letting your intelligence show through."

I froze then. Her smile only broadened even more. It was stretched across her whole face. "Umm…um…um…" I said stuttering rather badly. I backed away from the flowers for a second, staring at her. I wasn't sure exactly what I was going to say at this point, it was so unexpected. "Well Ino, I'm still a bit shocked and not into my normal swing of things." I told her defensively. "When I'm back to normal, I'll still be that troublemaker."

"If you say so Naruto." She told me, her smile dimming a little. But it was still there. "If you say so. So, what brings you to my family's flower shop?"

"Well, I was told one of my companions was here. One of the ones that arrived here with me. She has blue hair, wearing a black skin-tight outfit that seems to yell at you if you admire her." I told Ino, making my voice sound a little stupid, like it used to. I did my best to seem like I was struggling to think of the proper thing to say. Ino just appeared to be amused with that. I had a very bad feeling she knew I wasn't an idiot.

"Well, she's standing right behind you." Ino said to me, the look in her eyes seemed to be expecting some sort of priceless moment. And if she was correct, I got the feeling it would be.

I whipped around, and almost hit Hokara in the spin, and she just gave me some sort of peculiar look. "Ummm…Hello Hokara." I said to her, feeling a small wonder in my head. How had I let her sneak up on me? I didn't think my skills were that sloppy. But they may be, so it would be about to start sharpening my skills up.

"You wanted to speak to me about something?" She asked me, her voice more like one of accusation more than it was asking a question. I was slightly taken aback by the venomous tone in the voice, as though she was royally pissed off about something.

"Well, you know those creatures we faced earlier?" She gave a curt nod at me, her eyes still smoldering. "Well, there are more problems here than just that, and because of it, my village is going to war. I'm not going to force any of you to join us in it if you don't want to. So, I'm giving you the chance to leave now if you want to." I told her, her gaze scrutinizing me as I explained it to her. I wanted to ask her why she was so angry, but the smarter part of me helped to keep my tongue in check. That, and Prelait was constantly telling me not to say anything. She knew something was up, and was kindly telling me not to say anything.

"I'm staying." She told me in a flat voice. "I have no home to return to at this point. And who knows," She said shrugging her shoulders. "Maybe this can be my new home." She said, a small amount of affection at the thought bleeding into her voice. And I do think that was the longest she has gone without using a word I do not know. I was a little grateful in all honesty, I wasn't much of an idiot, but she could make me feel like one. "Now then, if you'll excuse me, I must be departing." She told me, turning on her heels, and strolling/storming out of the store. She was not happy about something, I just wish I knew what was going on.

"What's her problem?" I asked, looking at Ino.

Ino gave me a wink, and said "Man problems. The curse of women."

'Women are the curse of men.' I thought to myself, sighing a little. "Well, that's not good." I said sullenly, a small distaste entering my mouth. "Which man?" I asked Ino, raising my eyebrows a little quizzically.

Ino just shrugged her shoulders. "I just know the look Naruto. As for who he is, I have no idea." She told me with a mischievous smile on her face.

"You seem to be in a rather good mood." I said in a sour voice, a small grunt escaping my lips. I will never be able to figure women out. I just know it.

"Well, it's always nice to gain reinforcements. Especially when times are going to get hard. That, and I'm just in a good mood today." She told me, grinning again. I couldn't understand why either, but she seemed to be staring at me. And the question in her eyes all but smacked me. 'So, are you planning on leaving again?'

I felt my face flush a little, it was awkward. I hurried out of the store, and I could only hear Ino laugh as I exited. That was one of the stranger encounters in my book. And it made things slightly weirder between Ino and myself. Then again, I wasn't sure she was completely normal either. 'This coming from a demon container?' I heard Prelait say to me, a quizzical merriment in her voice.

'I did not have a choice in that matter.' I thought to her, shaking my head a little as I went to track down my last companion. This one was probably going to be the easiest one in all honesty. What with the whole Master and Slave thing going on. But still, I couldn't in all honesty give this opportunity to some of my companions and not all of them.

'Well, true.' She thought back to me, a smile playing on her lips. I could hear it. 'But I'm just glad that I was sealed inside of you. You make my life more interesting.'

'Glad I could be your entertainment.' I thought to her in a bit of a sour voice. It wasn't the best thought, but to a degree, she was complimenting me. So it would be something to be a little thankful for. 'Say Prelait, your old, and-'

I didn't even get to think another thing, before she interrupted me. 'Kit. I would watch what you say.' She thought to me, a dangerous edge in her voice as she spoke to me, and I heard the undertone of a growl in her throat as she thought this to me.

'Umm…you're more experienced than me. So I wanted to know, what do you know about these creatures? Nothing I could probably piece together, please.' I thought to her, holding my breath as I did so. I really did not feel like going into a dangerous side again, and that side would be the one of her ire.

'So, instead of calling me old, you make it into some sort of dirty, perverted sexual joke?' She thought to me, and I swear I could hear her bristling. Then her voice calmed down a lot as she thought to me 'Alright kit, I can live with that. As for what I know about those creatures, very little. If they ever messed with me, it would have had to have been when I was drunk. I don't remember them at all. And you know how I get when I'm drunk.' She thought to me, with a bit of a chortle.

'But moving on.' She thought to me, a small bit of intelligence developing into her voice. 'They seem to either be some sort of parasite, or possibly a mind controlling virus. Who or whatever seems to be taken into this thing, loses all their ability to reason. They just do whatever it is that this…mastermind…or whatever it is orders them to do. They seem to lose all intelligence as well. They walk, not run. But it seems that no matter the injury inflicted on them, unless it is a blow to the head or brain, they keep moving forward. They don't seem to feel pain either. No fear seems present as seen when they charge you, even when you are pouring out my energy around your body. Not to mention, whoever they attack, and do so successfully, seems to turn into one of these creatures. But there is a catch to this as well.

As you have probably figured out already, and as this over mind of theirs has figured out, if it keep only basic drones unable to do anything that follows orders, when he gets figured out, he'll lose no matter how excellent his strategy. So, he has either started to mutate his oldest creatures, or possibly, he is letting out some sort of new parasite or disease to infect the people which makes them into something more than just these strange creatures. Other than that, and honestly all of that is just a guess on my part, I don't know anything.' She thought to me, shaking her head a little. It feels strange having someone inside of you shake their head, for the record.

So, she suspects, but for now, she has no proof. Well, it would be better than nothing for now. But still, these creatures are odd. I've never heard of anything like them. And it seems to me, that neither has anyone else. We have figured out the weakness of the simple ones well enough, but the smarter, stronger, and faster ones are a problem. Especially if they keep evolving into stronger creatures with each passing moment. I hoped that one wasn't the case. Would make things rather ugly after a few months, and God Forbid it goes on for more than that. But if it wasn't the case, it wouldn't matter as much.

Sighing a little, I decide to press on, looking for the last of my companions. That, and I needed to get this woman back for smacking me through a wall. That was not a pleasant experience. And she got me slapped a second time, sending me through yet another building. I had gotten the crap beaten out of me far too many times. And there wasn't even a fight going on, so I kind of figured out that it was a bit pointless for them to hit me that hard. But I still have not figured out women, so I was not about to go and explain this to them. I was debating on walking up on her and giving her one good smack in retaliation.

I felt her signature, using a little of Prelait's demonic energy in order to locate her. It wasn't that hard, and to a small degree, I was a bit surprised when I walked up on her. She was in a rather familiar opening. The grass was slowly dying though, the time of year beginning that cycle where the vegetation seemed to fall off and die. The river she was next to was sparkling a little, the water seeming so crisp and clean. About thirty meters from her was a rather familiar log. We were at Team 7's training ground. Her feet were dipped in the lake, and she seemed to be purring. Odd in my opinion, I thought cats hated water. Her shoes were next to her, as she laid down, her feet still in the water. Her magenta eyes opened up as she laid down, looking at me, a bit of a lazy smile on her face. "Good evening, Master." She said to me, a slight drawl of laziness to her voice.

"Lufia." I said to her, walking next to her, and sitting down cross legged. "Why did you come here of all places?" I asked her, a bit of a morbid curiosity getting too good of a hold on me.

"Well Master, this place enticed me a little." She said, that lazy smile still on her face. "It is faint here, but your scent seems to be all over the place. So, I was curious as to why that is. And the river here seemed to call to me. So, I decided to enjoy it for a while. Other than that, no reason." She told me, sitting up then, smiling still. It was a bit odd for me to see her in such an excellent mood, when she wasn't causing mischief at least.

I wondered what it would be like for me to bring her back to my old apartment…but something tells me that it would be better for me not to do that. "Anyways Lufia, I came for two reasons." I said to her, and her eyes flicked to me then, tilting her head a little to regard me with curiosity. "One, I owe you this."

I said to her, and puzzlement entered her eyes for a split second, as I pushed on the ground with my palms and lifted my body off of it, swinging myself clockwise rapidly. She tried to get to her feet and to dodge, as realization filled her eyes as she stared at me. The velocity of my spin added to the force of my kick, as I slammed it into her stomach, the direction of my spin and kick throwing her into the river, as I sat down on the embankment, a grin spread across my face. Hopefully that would teach her a lesson.

With a rather loud yowl, she got out of the water, spluttering a little as she jumped onto the embankment. She put her hands and legs on the ground, and rapidly shook herself to get all of the water off. It gave her a bit of a wild look, and because her clothes were soaked, they stuck to her like a second skin, giving me a rather pleasing view of her figure, but I quickly banished such perverted thoughts. She was not going to be happy. "Well Master," She said with a bit of a growl in her voice. "You got me. Now, what was this other thing you wanted to talk to me about?" She asked me, her voice obviously displeased with what had happened. I had to keep the smile from spreading across my face at this. It was a bit of a funny thing for me. Smiling a little, I couldn't help it. I kept a full grin from entering my face, but the small smile I couldn't banish.

"Well Lufia, my village is going to go into a war. First we need to take care of those…creatures." I said, and I saw her visibly flinch for a second. She did not like the thought, and for a second, I thought that maybe she would leave. Had forgotten her deep rooted fear of those creatures. "And after that, we have to take care of another village that seems to be planning to attack us in a weakened state. I already offered this to the other two, and of course, in all fairness, I shall offer it to you too. You see, this is not your village, and as such, it is wrong for me to force all of you to fight. So, I offer you all the chance to go away, to go live your own lives, not following me around. You won't have to fight those creatures." I said to her, softly.

She seemed torn at this. Part of her wanted to stay with me, and continue this. But another part of her was still afraid of those creatures, a deep, childhood fear. She had a very pained and thoughtful look on her face, and she closed her eyes as though trying to think harder. I just think she was trying to contain the shiver that seemed to be building up in her body. To be honest, it would have surprised me if she left. Of all the companions, I figured that she would be the most adamant about staying. Guess I forgot a few things. But still, this was a bit of a surprise to me. Well, I guess all I could do was wait.

Suddenly her eyes opened and focused on me, a little fast. Fast enough that it unnerved me. I took a step back, and she took a step forward. A smile started to spread across her face. "Oh Master," She said, a bit of a sing-song lilt entering her voice. If there was one thing I have learned, it was never a good thing when something like this happened. "I know the perfect way to find out if I should stay." She said, taking another step towards me.

I wasn't sure if I should find out what it was though. But in the end, once again, curiosity would claim me. I just knew it. Her smile turned into an anxious grin, as she peered at me, her deep Magenta eyes seeming to call to me, and it was in a way I never thought she would look at me: A challenge. Now curiosity couldn't be sated by mere guesses, which was not something I was too pleased with. "Alright Lufia, what do you have in mind." I said, resisting the urge to grab one of the kunai at my side. She was beginning to freak me out a little.

Suddenly she rushed me, jumping at me as her foot came flying in an arc towards me, and I bent backwards as she flew over me. I pressed my palms against the ground, flipping back up onto my feet, spinning around, my hands instinctively grabbing shuriken and pulling them out, as she landed and spun around, smiling at me, adrenaline evident in her body, her breathing was slightly quicker, she was focused, and her body was trembling in anticipation. "Master, I wish to fight for my freedom." She told me, as I witnessed a strange purple energy begin to swirl around her.

'Prelait, let me guess. It would be considered a very grave insult to turn her down.' I thought to her, growling a little. This was a bit irritating such a regard.

'You'll learn demon lore yet kit. Yes,' She thought to me, chuckling a little in amusement. 'So I recommend it. If you want her to go free, lose the fight. She might kill you if you do this though. Because it is her right to kill her former master if she wishes. Or if you want to keep her, beat her down. Don't kill her though, kind of pointless at that point.'

'So I figured.' I thought to her in a bit of a skeptical voice. So this was her plan. If she won, she wasn't going to stay here and fight these creatures. If I won, she was going to. This was going to be rather interesting. Feeling my own adrenaline spike, I faced her. 'Prelait, be kind enough to give me a little power, would you?' I asked her, feeling a tiny amount of her energy begin to flow through me. I could feel my claws lengthen a little, becoming sharper as they did so. Because of the way she was smiling, I was assuming my eyes were turning red. She knew I was going to be serious. Hopefully it never got to the point that I would need to pull out tails of power. If it got that far, who knew how dangerous this fight would become. Growling slightly, I looked at her, a faint red energy beginning to swirl around me.

You know, I never thought about it, but her deep Magenta and my blood Red were actually fairly close in terms of richness. Kind of surprising really. Then I saw her, plant one foot behind her. I had to remember, she was quick and graceful. Strong too, but her speed and the fact she never wasted energy in her movements. And every time I saw her fight, she pulled out some new move. A bit scary really, but I think I could adapt to this. But one question I had to ask myself: Did I want to let her go, or did I want to keep her? I honestly could not figure out which one I wanted. It would be a bit mean to force her to stay here against her will. But at the same time, I know I could trust her to watch my back.

She was smiling again, a deep infectious smile, and I couldn't help but return it as she looked at me. "Oh Master," She said, and judging from the tone of her voice, I was not going to like what she said next. "I forgot to tell you, please forgive such a naughty slave." She said to me, just a hint of suggestion in her voice at that one. I had to fight to keep myself from blushing. "If you want, you can punish me later." The same suggestive tone in her voice.

'You should kit.' Prelait thought to me, and I almost smacked her…if I could that is.

'How about not.' I thought to her. In a bit of a flustered voice.

"But if you lose to me," She said, and let the silence stretch for a little bit. She just wanted to see me squirm…and in all honesty, it was a bit irritating. "You have to become MY slave." She said, breaking the silence. But after that, there was nothing but silence, and the sounds of our energy swirling around us.

Could she do that?

General Badaxe- Well, I'm going to be absent for a bit. I'm finally going to get some R&R from Afghanistan, and go home for a couple weeks. But afterwards, I'm going to return and do roughly 3-4 months before my unit permanently returns to America. At least until we deploy again. Though I'll admit, North Korea has me a bit on edge lately. For those of you following the news, I'm pretty sure you all have a good guess as to why. Next, Apologies about the cliffhanger, but those who have been on board long enough, you know you should have expected this. I'm slowly getting back into my little writing groove. Not sure I'm as good as I used to be, but I'm getting there slowly. Anyways, that's enough Dallying. I'll answer the reviews. Real quick, to everyone who wishes me luck out here, and thanks for serving, thank you, it's a pleasure, and I hope all of you do well. **Ero-Kun**, well, glad to know I haven't completely lost my touch. And that my story is still above the average one out there. **The Great Rick**, Yes, I know I have some improving to do. I'm working on it, and I think this chapter is closer to what it used to be like. Do tell me if I'm wrong, please. As for the relationships, don't worry. I'll be honest, I planned on some of those things happening before I fell out of my craze and went into the military. As for storyline, you know better. I'm not telling you what will happen, and you may try to read my writings to guess. But that is about it. **Hanzo of the Salamander** I'm just curious: How on Earth did you get those hearts in your review? Is it one of the control key commands? I've never seen anything like it.


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